Work-Life Fit: Putting It Into Practice

Work-Life Fit is a concept that seeks to address the AEC industry’s continuing struggle to increase its workforce, a company’s greatest asset, while simultaneously balancing employee and firm expectations in the post-pandemic hybrid work environment. Sometimes referred to as Work/Life Integration (WLI), Work-Life Fit fosters synergy and compromise between personal and professional life rather than keeping them separate at the risk of creating conflict between them. Work-Life Fit is an evolution of the more traditional Work-Life Balance, which was idealized as a 50/50 lifestyle but has proven unrealistic in the modern workplace with women in professional engineering roles and men in caregiver roles. Work-Life Fit is focused on multiple areas, including flexible work models, leave policies, and a healthy work environment; it is NOT a one-size fits all solution and will not always be easy to implement, with some employers expected to have valid concerns about secondary impacts on their business practices.

The recent “return to office” mandates within the AEC and other industries have rekindled the conversation about flexible and remote work models, in particular. Most of the current and future workforce have now experienced flexible work styles in some form (hours worked per day, minimum days in the office, work location, remote learning, etc.). As such, the demand for flexible work continues, which creates an opportunity for companies to recruit and retain engineers by offering various options. However, for this to work for both a company and an individual, flexible work options must be transparent and part of an ongoing, documented discussion of work styles that provide the maximum value for individuals and companies. Work-Life Fit is not about working less but working differently and more efficiently for mutual gain.

Data in this article was collected via Menti during a presentation at the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona conference in June 2024. Some of this information, along with other industry insights, are presented in this article to support both individuals and companies in designing flexible work styles. This article highlights and addresses specific concerns of employers about flexible work styles. While the Arizona presentation topic was based on Work-Life Fit, which incorporates different employee benefits packages like family leave and healthy work environments, many of the challenges identified by the participants were remote work-related.

Remote work inhibits collaboration, which is a foundation of company culture.
The use of required “core hours” is one solution. One firm principal stated that to maintain their company culture, they have a required collaboration timeframe within the typical workday. Everyone is expected to be in the office during these times. This work schedule allows drop-off and pick-up for child caregivers and recognizes that rush hour traffic can impede a more restrictive 8-5 schedule. A shift in the scheduled arrival and departure times can allow employees to avoid the increased commute times and support employees' personal lives and obligations. To further address the company culture concern, a well-crafted employee engagement plan can help to support employee relationships and foster a collaborative workplace. Employee engagement plans can include any of the following: compensation, coaching, mentoring and goal setting, personal and professional support, social events, transparent communication, and training and professional development.

Today, there are multiple examples of fully remote structural engineering firms and project teams successfully collaborating 100% remotely.

Mentoring is difficult in a remote work environment. Remote Engineer-in-Training interns cannot learn “organically” by overhearing office dialogue on the project, similar challenges, or code applications.

Remote structural engineering firms may only hire licensed engineers to avoid this mentoring challenge as part of their remote work paradigm. A solution may be adopting a “core hours” schedule where interns, and perhaps all staff, must be in the office on certain days and/or hours. This allows interns their desired flexibility while facilitating their participation in the company culture and “knowledge by osmosis.”

Leaves of absence and part-time employees cause disruptions to project continuity.
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is protected by law, and there are a variety of reasons—beyond maternity/paternity leave—that an employee may require a leave of absence or reduced hours, including elder care, mental health concerns, or addiction. Regardless of the type of leave, there is no easy management solution to long-term leave, and employees may be concerned with taking extended leave or working part-time for fear of reduced potential promotion and raises. This concern particularly impacts anyone who is a primary caregiver for children or adults.

Typically, when extended leaves occur, a new project engineer/project manager must be assigned to the project. From a company perspective, transferring the project responsibilities incurs a cost. However, offering part-time or reduced hours, and even a transitional period back to full-time employment for these employees, can help to reduce attrition and gain long-term loyal employees.

An additional option is to provide task-based work, like reviewing submittals, for flexible work employees. Job-sharing, where more than one person is responsible for the overall project or set of tasks, can reduce knowledge loss at a company. Redundancy is an important factor for all forms, albeit harder to do in smaller firms.

Flexible work styles are not conducive to providing client support.

Employees in the office have many benefits, as mentioned here, such as mentoring, company culture, and learning by osmosis. These topics are all focused internally. However, when employees are not in a physical office, value-added client interaction and support may also be a concern. The shift to remote work was challenging during the pandemic because many companies were not set up technology-wise to support this work model. Fortunately, as a testament to the resilience of the engineering profession, many firms have since implemented an infrastructure that supports digital collaboration and seamless, integrated, remote client communication and support. Client expectations of interactions with engineering firms have permanently changed post-pandemic, relying increasingly on digital platforms.

Expectations for site visits and inspections are aligned with cost, vicinity, and need. Firms may employ personnel who focus on construction administration, site visits, and inspection, which provides options for clients. Fortunately, in the post-pandemic environment, numerous tools are available for collaboration, and business does not need to wait for in-person visits.

If provided with flexible work options, employees may request to live and work for periods of time in a different state.

Employees working from another state may cause employer concerns with employment law and income tax liabilities (the location where the revenue is being earned). This can be particularly burdensome for a smaller company.

For employees working in one state but living in another, the employer may withhold both state taxes. It is also possible that the employee takes care of this challenge through their own personal income taxes.

For some states, working from another state may require the employer to file state taxes in the employee's physical state, with some states requiring this in as little time as 14 days (ADP). However, many states will match their requirement for residency, which is typically closer to 30 days, or the same requirement as the need for a driver’s license and license plate. Employees must communicate their residence as it changes if remote work is allowed.

Errors & Omissions claims may increase when employees work full-time outside the office, resulting in legal expenses and increased E&O insurance premiums.

Employers can reduce risks by creating more detailed operating procedures and checklists for reviewing and evaluating work performed remotely. A continuous and managed improvement plan can be beneficial for demonstrating the company’s efforts to control errors to insurance companies. Little data is published currently on actual increases in cost for E&O insurance, and it is an area of ongoing discussion.

Companies and individuals have many recognized challenges regarding Work-Life Fit and flexible work models beyond basic work-life balance; however, the realized benefits of flexible work options are well documented and lead to increased productivity and bottom lines. Significant data exists across many industries to make the business case for implementing flexible work models, most notably the positive impact on retention and recruitment. The key is understanding the types of Work-Life Fit policies that address both the individual and company needs. ■

About the Authors

Rachel Mosier, PE, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor in Construction Engineering Technology at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK (rachel.mosier@okstate.edu).

Erin Conaway, PE, LEED AP, is the Senior Director of Market Development with the American Institute of Steel Construction, based in Denver, CO (conaway@aisc.org).

Read More

For more on this topic, read “Engineering a Better Work-Life Fit: A Business Case for Flexibility in the Workplace” (STRUCTURE January 2024). This article focuses on the changing landscape and perspective for flexible workstyles during the pandemic and after.