Construction Middle East: Arabian Civil Engineers by GineersNow GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 014, Sau | Page 29

Design and operation engineers design, develop and manage integrated systems for the production of high-quality products. These systems may include computer networks, robots, machine tools, and materials-handling equipment. Electrical engineers make sure that the power supply in a manufacturing site is enough for the company to meet its production targets. This is of particular importance for industrial manufacturing businesses like ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Boeing or Airbus. They maintain the power infrastructure and facilities within the manufacturing plant, or liaise with temporary electric power suppliers in times when the factory needs additional power, say during peak production seasons, or when load shedding or peak shaving are implemented in the area. Whatever the area of specialization is, engineers play highly essential roles in manufacturing facilities, and as such, it is important to keep them motivated at work and retain their services. While there is not a world of difference between what keeps engineers engaged at work and what it takes to do that for any other member of the organization, paying keen attention to the unique motivational needs of engineers can spell a huge difference. Here are some things to take into consideration in keeping engineers motivated in ma nufacturing companies: 1. Allow them to be free, creative Engineers value a strong sense of autonomy and the freedom to choose how to approach various issues at work. They appreciate if they are given the opportunity to creatively resolve engineering-related challenges at work. Based on our experience with our electrical engineers, they thrive on a results-driven environment, and appreciate having a degree of independence to perform at their best with minimal supervision and instruction. They are also stimulated by a work environment that promotes and rewards innovative thought. 2. They are not enticed by promotion Okay, hold your horses. When I said that engineers are not enticed by promotion, I meant the type that follows a conventional progression across the company organization. Many engineers in manufacturing companies, like in India’s Tata Motors or Tejas Networks, may not be interested in traditional leadership positions, because they may not want to manage other employees or sit in the office for hours on end – they just want to keep building and developing products, and maintain the challenge and dynamism of a thriving engineering career. It is possible that promoting them to a traditional manager will suppress their creative engineering process, and this may dampen their motivation at work. For example, if a manufacturing company promotes an electrical engineer (who is actively engaged in installing, running and maintaining onsite power generation facilities) to a conventional manager (who will spend eight hours of his day preparing documents and responding to e-mails), then it is the running the risk of demotivating the previously-engaged engineer. Having said this, if an engineer really deserves a promotion, then let it be to a position that is equally energetic and stimulating, that will still require his engineering creativity and ingenuity. 3. For engineers, learning is an ending journey (Kaizen) Manufacturing companies hire engineers because of the latter’s mastery of what they do. While they may already be specialists in their own fields, engineers are always hungry to learn more and do more.