British Employees Clock Millions of Unpaid Overtime Hours
A recent study commissioned by ProTime and compiled into a report titled ‘The True Cost of Overtime: How Overwork Impacts Employee Performance’ has shed light on the alarming extent of unpaid overtime worked by British employees. The research, conducted among 2,000 employees, revealed that a staggering 87% work an average of five and a half hours of unpaid overtime each month, translating to a cumulative 153 million hours of unpaid work per month. This equates to approximately 19 million eight-hour working days.
The reasons behind this excessive unpaid overtime vary, with 26% of employees citing unfinished to-do lists and 20% attributing it to unrealistic workloads within their contracted hours. As a result, a significant proportion of employees (29%) are seeking relief from their managers by requesting a reduction in workload, while 27% advocate for a more equitable distribution of work among team members.
Simon Garrity, UK Country Manager for ProTime, expressed concern over the high percentage of employees working unpaid overtime, often due to unrealistic workloads or incomplete tasks. He emphasized the importance of effective time management and the need for employers to prioritize workload management while valuing and respecting employees’ time.
The study also highlighted that only 6% of workers consider themselves unproductive during work hours, while a mere 3% admitted to poor time management skills. However, distraction (56%), lack of focus (48%), and excessive time spent on unimportant tasks (46%) emerged as the primary obstacles to effective time management.
Conversely, employees who excel at time management exhibited higher levels of organization (66%), prioritization (57%), and self-directed to-do list creation (40%). Despite these positive attributes, the average worker failed to utilize their full holiday entitlement during the last full working year, with 25% citing workload as the primary reason for being unable to take time off. This lack of holiday utilization had a negative impact on employee wellbeing, with 53% reporting increased stress and anxiety, and 41% feeling exhausted and burnt out.
Despite these concerns, 69% of workers generally expressed satisfaction with their work-life balance. However, among those who were dissatisfied, 20% intended to leave their current job within the next six months, while 14% remained in their roles solely due to workload constraints that limited their job search efforts.
Furthermore, a poor work-life balance has significant consequences for employees’ career aspirations, with 40% reporting a decreased likelihood of pursuing promotions and 47% being less inclined to take on additional responsibilities.
The research, conducted via OnePoll, also revealed that 42% of employees have sacrificed hobbies due to excessive work commitments, and 36% have missed important personal events such as birthdays or children’s nativity plays.
Dr. Mansoor Soomro, Future of Work Lead at Teesside University International Business School, warned that unrealistic workloads and a culture of overtime can severely diminish productivity. He noted that mental fatigue sets in after a certain number of hours, leading to errors, decreased focus, and slower work. Additionally, he emphasized that overtime stifles innovation, as exhausted employees have reduced mental energy for brainstorming and creative problem-solving.
To address this widespread issue, Simon Garrity of ProTime believes that employers must recognize that unpaid work and missed holidays are not indicators of dedication but rather symptoms of a flawed system. Companies need to implement strategies to allocate fair workloads and ensure employees have adequate time for their personal lives and hobbies. This, in turn, will foster a happier and more productive workforce.
Dr. Soomro further emphasized the importance of understanding the diminishing returns of overtime on productivity and innovation. By creating a work environment that values employee well-being and work-life balance, organizations can enhance employee satisfaction, productivity, and innovation.
