Engineers At Job site: How to Get Rid of Stress

Are you a multi-skills engineer who does or accept all tasks - Estimate (Quantity Take-off / Material Take-off), Bidding (Preparation of Commercial, Technical Proposal and Contract Provisions), Design (Calculations and Specifications), Planning and Scheduling, Site Supervision/Inspection for various field of works, Procurement (Canvassing and Coordination with Supplies/Manufacturers), Meeting (Facilitate or Participate), and Miscellaneous Paper works (Preparation of Construction Procedures, Method Statements, etc.)? 

Then, I would say, it’s high time for you to be unloaded so that you’ll be able to enjoy life while working more productively and manage your time to have more precious moments with your family. 

So, just reduce the impact of stress while taking these minor steps to drop off pressures at work;    

1. Know your Job description: Most of us engineers especially the beginners couldn’t able to define their job description, so they end up on accepting various tasks being given by his/her boss. 

For beginners, we opt to keep quite because we want to impress &/or satisfy our superiors even to the point of doing such work out of our skills or expertise. Yes, it is no doubt that an engineer loves challenges. We are risk-taker! But let us put these challenges or risks into a proper perspective. We shall not risk our credibility because of our failure or fears to say “No” to things which are out of our abilities.  

Most often than not, we are also unable to define our scope of work that’s why even whatever our manager will instruct us to do, we just simply nod. Can you take it all? Or does your boss couldn't delegate other tasks to other team members? Or your boss just sees you only? Don’t take it all! That's why it is so necessary that you know your job description during the recruitment stage. Let others to the tasks that should be for them and be challenged and improved as well. Make sure that you are doing your tasks in line with what has been negotiated or discussed with during your interview.  If it was not discussed during the recruitment stage and you were already hired, then, prior or during your formal "first  day or week of work", you must ask your boss about the details of your job description. You should be able to fit yourself to your major skills where you can produce more outputs. 

However, if you are a manager, learn to delegate the works and don’t do it by yourself.  Give the tasks to your subordinate a chance to develop and produce a result base on your clear standard or instruction.  

If there are so many tasks which you are really bound to complete it, then, do the most priority.

2. Get organized: When I was first interviewed on my first job after graduation from university, I was asked by a project manager if how I organize my tasks on my busiest schedules, during critical stages in the construction and when lots of meetings are being held. I answered him with a lengthy statement - I mean in details, then he smiled and he picked a small handy-notebook from his pant's pocket, then he told me while browsing haphazardly “I bring this anywhere at site and even during my meetings so that at any time that I need to make a list or note I can jot it down immediately. You just need this so you won’t forget anything... and after work without thinking your next activities for tomorrow, you can relax and sleep well at home.”

One more thing, lessen up clutters on top of your table. Dispose old or superseded drawings and unnecessary documents. Your document control center will be responsible to keep histories of drawings and documents. In this way, you will prevent eye strain.

3. Schedule a break: If our construction workers are tired physically, we are as well excruciated with lots of paper works. 

When I was working in Middle East, all engineers were required and assigned to prepare and present safety topics for daily toolbox meeting every morning. I was been captivated with the topic presented on “Office Ergonomics Hazards” that awkward postures arises from improper work methods and improperly designed workstations.

Office engineers (as well as site engineers) are not only mentally stressed but also expose to risk of injury to the musculoskeletal system.  So, take a break which does not refer only to food but why not stand-up from your seat and take a deep breath for a while or search for a cool views where you can focus your eyes  at around 20 feet far distance at  20 seconds.

4. Talk with colleagues: Helmet’s off! Talk with colleagues when you are under pressure or during breaks but avoid speaking negative discussion and plain works. Be jolly or ride with their jokes and keep the conversation smoothly and light.

5. Balance your work: Working in Middle East will mean working 6-days a week at 10 hours a day.  But in my case even though, I was been working with known international company but this company was not able to abide with existing labor laws of the country. We were obligated to work 6-days a week at 12 hours [plus more or less 1-hour travel time from camp to office, vice versa] a day without overtime pay because our company claim that we were fixed rate. But on later stage, the policy was changed to 6-days a week at 11-hours a day; this time beyond 11-hours we will be receiving OT pay based on bias internal company calculation. But my point is, I have an officemate who never cease overtime works because he is heavy loaded with so many works. But check this, from Saturday through Thursday, he go office 4:50 AM then he will reach back camp at around 11:00PM and seldom 12:00 midnight; then, on Friday which supposedly rest day, he still go work from 6:30AM to 5:00PM. The idea is we should learn to say no to offers of overtime, if it will risk our health or interfere with quality time with your family. 

For the same reason, resist the temptation to work at weekends if you can. Balance your priorities. Earning enough to pay the bills and extras is important, but not more important than investing time in your family especially that even we are working overseas, the technology is now freely available and leads us closer to our family.

6. Meditate: When situations gets so difficult for you to handle just remember that there is God who will carry our burden. Just spend a minutes of talking straight to Him. Let Him know what we feel and what we want. And leave our worries with Him and believe that He will keep His promise of providing us with the best things more than we’ve ever expected.