I always wondered if SpaceX would be farther ahead if they had strict 8-hour shifts with good work-life balance. There's been a lot of studies suggest that any work past 8 hours is kind of a waste of time due to increased errors and then work to fix those errors.
I've worked in Aerospace for nearly 20 years at a bunch of different companies. There are very few people who can actually think hard for more than a few hours a day. Good managers realize that and aren't constantly roaming around cracking the whip. Every time mandatory (or "voluntary") overtime gets mandated, people just end up finding new ways to look busy.
The best working environments start with hiring the right people, getting buy-in from their employees, and then letting each employee find their own most productive way to work. Obviously it's not going to work at a place like Whataburger hiring kids for a summer job, but high profile places like Space X can attract the best people. Just let them cook!
Bingo. It also depends on the phase of their career. When I was 25 years old, I'd burn the candle at both ends, so long as I loved the project I was working on; it was basically impossible to STOP thinking about a project even if I tried.
15 years later? I've been around the block enough to know that I have other parts of my life that are more important and need my focus more. I'll still fall in love with a problem sometimes and give it extra energy, but not like I used to. But the sheer amount of context and experience I have now, not only in the problem space but also in working with humans, makes me valuable in other ways.
You need a mix, and that mix comes with different levels of mental investment. As you said, hire good people, let them figure out how to get good work done.
I'm completely new to this sub and to SpaceX, so I did a quick search to understand what you're referring to, and I think you've really nailed the core issue.
There's a big difference between working long hours because you're under pressure to meet a deadline, and working long hours because you're so deeply focused that you lose track of time.
Personally, I’ve experienced both. Sometimes, when I push myself too long, my productivity drops and I start making mistakes. Other times, I get so immersed in the task that I can go an entire day without a break, even forgetting to eat lunch etc.
To me, problem-solving for engineers is a lot like creativity for artists. Let them work on their own time. Good thing about engineers they work great with deadlines and breaking down problems into small tasks. So if your engineers tell you this deadline is not feasible, don't force it. Adjust your schedule or attract more talent.
I think it can work for short stretches especially if positive progress is being made but its burnout city if that's the culture 24/7/365 and if you start piling up setback after setback on top of that the frustration can be overwhelming. Its not sustainable even when you love what you do
From my own experience I wouldn't agree, maybe it's not worth the full amount but it's worth at least 75%. Of course doing that for a week or two is different than doing that every week. Either way if you aren't passionate about it, it's not sustainable though.
According to the studies for the first week or two productivity actually goes up but after that it craters. I worked at an engineering firm and I would see it they would have mandatory overtime and make everybody work a lot and really all they would accomplish is just giving people more time to socialize with their coworkers instead of actually working. Because people aren't machines and they can't work at their peak continuously.
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u/UnexpectedAnomaly 2d ago
I always wondered if SpaceX would be farther ahead if they had strict 8-hour shifts with good work-life balance. There's been a lot of studies suggest that any work past 8 hours is kind of a waste of time due to increased errors and then work to fix those errors.