Dr Frances Saunders, President of the Institute of Physics in London, gives a concise and useful answer to the question: Can research ever be a “9-5” job?
Contributor: Dr Frances Saunders
Yes, but it requires good planning, effective teamwork and a supportive environment. There will be some people that claim that their research requires 24 hr running of an experiment or can only be done at night, when various noise sources are reduced. But these are the exceptions. By far the largest driver for working long hours is a culture of “presenteeism” that equates commitment and contribution to time spent in the lab rather than the ideas and innovation that deliver results. If you plan and manage your time at work to make it as productive as possible and if you work effectively with colleagues to share out tasks and support each other, then everyone can benefit.
Does this sound too good to be true, in what is often seen as a highly intellectually competitive environment? Research Leaders need to set the tone and ensure the environment they create enables everyone to deliver their best and exploit their talents to full effect. This is what supporting diversity is really about. Little great research, these days, is down to the efforts of one individual. It requires a team effort. People that are only at work 9 to 5 can deliver just as much to the team as those who are worn out by working long hours for the sake of being seen to be there.
If you’ve got any questions for Dr Saunders, please leave a comment below and she’ll do her very best to answer them.
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All good points, but you are dismissive of exceptions such as night experiments etc. They are not exceptions in some fields of research. Field work requires hours that are not 9-5, this is especially true if you are working with natural phenomenon such as tides or working on a ship that does not operate 9-5. There is more research than takes place in labs.
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