My Opinion: Working overtime

One thing I noticed about the younger generation of Millennial engineers is that they put in their 40 hours a week, and call it done. Admittedly, at first I thought, they're an uninspired bunch; but now I have come to appreciate such detachment.

These kids for the most part, signed on with the expectation of working 40 hours a week. So why should they work more than 40 hours a week? It sounds cliche, but there is more to life than just work. People got family, hobbies, and other personal endeavors. Who knows what other commitments someone might have that might prevent them from working 40 hours weeks.

Sometimes overtime is expected for those emergencies or unplanned events at work. In my experience most people do understand and are flexible to working overtime when needed. Where overtime becomes an issue is when it becomes a norm. Overtime a few times every other month is fine, but overtime everyday is not.

If a person is hired with the expectation of working 40 hours a week and has to work 60 hours a week, then there is a systematic problem. Somewhere along the way management has failed. Perhaps they forgot to buy a second horse, and now that one horse is working the job of two horses.

This is not a write up against the benefits of overtime, but the nod to the work culture of the younger generation. Having work for a while, seeing this new work ethic is refreshing.