Flexibility of hours for EEs

Depends on the company. I've been around "big" firms where the engineers all wore button-up shirts, slacks, and non-athletic shoes and had to worry about union rules (e.g., need to use a union employee to move your soldering iron from bench to bench). The smaller firms I've been around are usually more casual. Bare feet are a norm for the engineering types where I work. I tell folks it reduces static problems. When you're at work for 12 to 14 hours, you better be comfortable. Plus, you don't want to get your dressy duds dirty when working around dirty environments.

The smaller firms tend to have flex hours. My last company, this worked out as a major advantage since the field people had nearly 24 hour access to the engineers. The engineers came in anywhere from 7am to 6pm. I always kept some nicer clothes in my file cabinet in case I had to meet a customer.

How about shoes ?:-)

What ever came of Reson?

...Jim Thompson

Those rules do *not* have to include dress codes, start-stop times, or when to take bathroom breaks. The only important dynamic is work output. If everyone plays nice and the work gets done, all is well. Screw the ties.

Again, those rules do not have to be suffocating. They can be rather lax, in fact. As I've said, I worked on a CPU design with a couple of hundred engineers, at times in five sites spread around the world. There was no dress code, no official start/stop times, and an overall lax atmosphere. Management got uptight at times, but that's what they're paid for. ;-)

They did in the 60s, anyway. Who would work in such a hell-hole today? Most learned a long time ago that function was more important than form, likely about the time engineers found that they had some real value. ;-)

Complete nonsense. Ever hear of "competition"? It works at the employment end of the business too.

What possible reason would I want to work for an asshole who considers the color of my shirt more important than the work I do? I see no tradeoff at all.

Yes. Perhaps you don't see them because you're more interested in fashion than electronics? One of the interesting things in life is that you tend to get what you measure. Measure wisely.

Settle down, we're real men. We don't need such instruments of convenience.

Such as, in the absence of needle-nose pliers within reach, you hold onto the pigtail with your bare fingers while removing it from the board with a soldering iron on the other side. It doesn't burn if you do it quick enough. And if the pliers aren't within reach, it's quick enough.

Taking away a cro, signal generator, assorted spares (several shelves full), assorted cables made up for the different types of equipment, and all the other bits a pieces required on the back of a motorcycle, isn't practical. Not for me anyway.

And it leaves the workshop at work bare, so they can't do a lot of the work.

Been there, done that. It's a learning curve. My bullshit detector is more finely honed now than before, but I've picked up on some weird things on several interviews. I knew I was right from some time down the track (just by fluke), I hear about people who worked there and told their stories. It just sounds suspect at the interview stage, but ends up outright unfavourable if work behind the scenes.

I think the best "tool" I've ever acquired (after flip-down magnifiers) is a hemostat... the extra finger helper ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Exactly. Pain is a sensation; it's only in your head. And burnt fingers fix themselves.

John

I would NEVER take a job where I was required to wear a dress!!!

Not if you're Diabetic. Nothing wants to heal.

What did you file them under?

Why? Was there a requirement to wear a padded bra as well? :-)

If you are a reasonable person, that should be just the matter of money. If you are not reasonable, then it is mutually beneficial not having you for this particular job. As simple as that.

Vladimir Vassilevsky

DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant

For most of us, money isn't the primary reason we are design engineers, and we wouldn't dump a good job for a boring job just for more money. Most of us have the talent to be doctors or lawyers, and would make more money, but we wouldn't enjoy the work as much.

John

In the short term, sure. In the long term, no -- being a good engineer is about a lot more than just making decent money; it's about having a passion for what you do, performing to the best of your abilities, enjoying the challenges you're given and feeling as knowing that you're contributing to the company's bottom line, etc. For many people, having a strict dress code is somewhat at odds with the rest of those desires, so long term it's not in the best interest of those engineers to work at some places if it's avoidable.

But of course if you enjoy wearing a suit and tie to work, great -- more power to you. It's just that most people feel it's a burden when it's done arbitrarily...

It's never as simple as that.

Two reasonable people can reasonably disagree on what is reasonable.

Many are laid back, and the rest seem to be stuffed-shirts. Curiously, there doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

I can tell you this: the Engineer that arrives early and at the same time each day, is the one that gets noticed. Often, this visibility helps with later promotion.

-mpm

I kept a moldy pair of shoes under my desk. Reson is still hobbling along. It doesn't look very good right now, but they are trying to dump the company. It will be interesting if they can find a sucker buyer. New management spent all their money putting flowers in the hallway and killed the core of the company. It's been pretty interesting to see how investment companies run a niche medium-tech firm.

BTW, clothing was filed under "software".

John,

With all my respects due, I must say that the mankind had lost not a doctor or lawyer, but the most wonderful clown in your person. As the clown, you could probably make billions. Dilbert is nothing compared to you.

Vladimir Vassilevsky

DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant

And heat is a very slow sensation. You can dip your finger in boiling water for a second and you won't feel it until your finger is out. I had a science teacher who liked to demonstrate that...