1 in 5 UK Employees Working an Extra Day a Week in Overtime

Over 1000 UK employees were asked about their working habits in order to see how many extra hours they put in and how they feel about overtime.

23% of UK staff work over 8 hours of overtime each week with only half of them getting paid for it – which amounts to a £19billion saving for UK employers.

The vast majority of employees work more hours than what is stated on their contract; with four out of five admitting to working some form of overtime. Almost half of UK staff work 4+ hour’s overtime each week adding to approximately 192 hours extra each year – amounting to over 21 full working days per person! Of these days, half of them are unpaid.

The reason UK employees are prepared to work these extra hours unpaid comes down to a number of reasons; with the majority stating that workload demands attributed to working overtime without being paid. Other explanations include:

  • Financial pressures – 11%
  • Staff shortages – 19%
  • Professional responsibilities obliging them to stay in the office after hours – 59%

However, three quarters of employees asked didn’t think they worked too many hours – with 85% being happy to do overtime!

The extent to which people are prepared to work extra hours to ensure a job is complete is a positive reflection of our attitude to work in the UK and testament to how much we value our jobs. However, even though some employees are happy to work overtime, employers should always be cautious of becoming over reliant on the employees that are regularly prepared and able to go the extra mile.

Source: reed.co.uk

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