As foreign as punch cards and slide rules sound to us now, structural engineers currently use computers on all projects. And, remember when e-mail was the new technology on the block? In an age when computers and e-mail are basic to all projects, just how do structural engineers work: how many hours and where?

During our annual compensation survey that was executed earlier this year, we asked structural engineers a series of questions to learn more about how they work. Most structural engineers responded that they spend 40-45 hours at the office (45 percent); the majority of the rest spend 40 hours (20 percent) or 45-50 hours (20 percent), and a few put in more than 50 hours per week (approximately 10 percent). Less than 5 percent work fewer than 40 hours per week.

Of those hours spent at work, we learned that most (65 percent) spend more than 90 percent of each day in their offices. Another 27 percent of respondents spend only 75 percent of their time at the office, while few (8 percent) spend less than 50 percent of their time at their office.

Percentage of time spent working on a computer Accounting for daily variability, approximately what percentage of your time do you spend working on a computer? (source: 2009 compensation survey)

While structural engineers are working in the office, the majority (approximately 84 percent) spend more than 50 percent of their working day on a computer. This is no surprise, but I was impressed that one in six structural engineers spends more than 90 percent of his or her time working on a computer each day; see the graph below for more details.

So, how do structural engineers stay connected when out of the office? Eighty-five percent of respondents are able to access company e-mail when away from the office; most access their company’s intranet through any computer that has Internet access (48 percent), many use mobile devices such as a Blackberry or a Smartphone (19 percent), and the rest have other, more limited options for accessing e-mail when away from the office (18 percent). Nearly identical numbers exist for the ways in which structural engineers stay connected with staff and clients when out of the office. Eight-four percent of respondents have access via cell phone (56 percent), Blackberry/Smartphone (22 percent), or other means (6 percent).

Initially, I was surprised to learn that 15 percent of structural engineers do not have access to company e-mail and have no mechanism to communicate with staff and clients while away from the office. While this is a minority, I would have expected nearly everyone to be able to access company e-mail when away from the office. However, perhaps this correlates with the data above that most structural engineers spend more than 90 percent of their time in the office and do not need electronic access when not in the office.

Regardless of how and where you spend your time while working, I do hope that you are able to break away and enjoy a bit of the summer. If you are so inclined, catch a ballgame or two. If you are unable to make it to the ballpark in person, we’ve brought one to you. And not just any ballpark, the new Yankee Stadium. Read about the project and the people and firms that made it happen in our cover story beginning on page 12, and enjoy the summer!

Jennifer Goupil, P.E., jgoupil@stagnitomedia.com