Janice Ho

6.30 AM

Time to get out of bed and ready for work. Then I make my way to the local bus station.
 
7.20 AM

Arrived just in time to catch my ride - the hydrogen-powered bus is a new and exciting experience! During my commute I mentally prepare for the day by reading devotions or listening to music. If it’s a clear morning, I get a glimpse of the sunrise too.

8.00 AM

I arrive at the office, squeeze my snacks into the kitchen fridge, and settle at a desk. First off, I spend about half an hour checking my calendar and emails and tackle some admin tasks. Then I made a rough plan for the working day ahead.

8.30 AM

Time for my coffee fix in the kitchen. I usually pair this with a piece of fruit or a bowl of cereal to help energise me for the day ahead. Today I am working on a report for a local water supply and treatment upgrade. We have just completed the Optioneering process, where we developed and evaluated a set of high-level options for a concept design. Now we’re now at the stage of documenting our findings into a report for the client. The report draft was recently sent to a Senior Principal Water Treatment Engineer for review, so I am spending this morning reading through the comments that were received and making changes accordingly.

10.00 AM 

We have a special morning tea to farewell one of the senior leaders who is moving to a different Stantec office overseas. It’s quite a sentimental occasion hearing words shared by colleagues. After the official celebrations are finished, I stay a short while to catch up with a few work mates before heading back to my desk to continue with my report.

10.30 AM

I join an online Teams meeting with the Senior Engineer and another Process Engineer to discuss the review comments that we were working through previously. After this, we both head off to a meeting room and start progressing through the report together. As convenient as online meetings are, I still appreciate being able to collaborate with others in person.

1.00 PM 

After a solid word crunching session, we decide it is time for a break. I bring my own lunch on most days, but also like to eat out with my work mates once every so often. Today, we are keen to try an Indian restaurant nearby, so a few of us from the MEP team head over to devour a satisfying meal of curry, rice and naan bread. 

2.00 PM

After finishing our food, we walk back to the office and try our best to fight the post-lunch slump. We return to the same meeting room and work through the remainder of the report as we’re hoping to send it to the Project Manager and client by the end of the week.

4.00 PM 

I join another online Teams meeting for a different project - we are working with an international client to conduct a feasibility study for pumped storage conversions in Europe. As the team that I am working with includes key hydropower engineers from across NZ and Australia, this meeting was scheduled a bit later in the afternoon to accommodate the different time zones. We conduct a high-level assessment of a few sites and discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of converting from its current hydro-electric power generation facility to a pumped storage scheme.

5.50 PM

I log off from the computer and start packing up. As our office has transitioned to a hot-desking system, it’s expected that we leave our desks clean and tidy, just as we found them in the morning.
 
6.00 PM

After work, my evening activities vary between resting at home, going for a run, catching up with friends over dinner, or preparing for my weekly church commitments. I decide to go for a quick walk around the domain to unwind for this evening before going home for dinner. 

8.30 PM

I shower, prepare lunch for the next day, and try to relax by reading a book and listening to music.

10.30 PM

It’s time to retire for the day – goodnight!

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