Long Work Hours
The Causes and Consequences of Long Work Hour Culture in the Architecture Practice
M.M. Kolmas (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Phoebus I. Panigyrakis – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / A)
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Abstract
In the field of architecture, there reigns a stigma of long working hours, in university, and practice. This paper sets out the causes of the long work hour culture that relate to the practice of architecture and the consequences and choices it may bring along. Based on existing research findings, seven major causes provoke long work hour culture, among which are primarily associated with the practice of architecture: joy and pleasure derived from work, striving for perfection, love for their job, and the function of hours of colleagues. Long work hour culture, which is working more than 49 hours a week, besides physical damage, reduces the well-being of its participants and thereby their productivity. Even though a long work hour culture sometimes feels imposed, it is ultimately the actor’s choice. Out of interviews deducted from practitioners of two architecture practices, the seven causes are examined, but the proposed hierarchy in terms of relatability, varied between the two firms, showing the variation of applicability in the wide range of different firms. The addition of alternative proposed causes by actors in the field shows the complexity and extent of the long work hour culture in the practice of architecture, and the stringent work ethics it brings along in the 21st century.