WORKING FREE for
More than half of workers clock up so much overtime, they are effectively working for free from October 16 until the end of the year
MORE than half of workers clock up so much unpaid overtime they are effectively working for free for almost 11 weeks of the year.
A new survey from credit comparison specialists TotallyMoney found that 59% of overtime workers don’t get compensated for the extra hours they put in, compared to just 41% who do.
The survey found that those who did unpaid overtime clocked up an average of 10.1 hours, each, per week.
That works out as 469 hours of unpaid work each year.
It means that employees are effectively working forfreefromOctober 16 until the end of the year. Most 9-5 jobs mean an employee is paid for 37.5 hours a week after factoring in unpaid lunch breaks.
More than half of those surveyed (53%) said that put in overtime hours because they had “too much work”, while 61% said that they did not have a good work-life balance.
Some 15% of respondents said they worked longer hours because of pressure from management.
Only one in every 10 said they put in extra hours for the love of the job - and 1.4% claimed they did overtime in order to avoid going home.
The data also showed that Londoners worked the most extra hours (10.6 hours a week), followed by workers in Leicester (10.5) and York (9.7).
Employees in Aberdeen, meanwhile, worked an extra 4.5 hours each week the fewest in the country.
Astonishingly, nearly 10% of people work more than 30 hours a week overtime.
The research also found differences between men and women’s experience of unpaid overtime.
Just a third of women are paid for extra hours they put in, compared to half of men.
Women (17%) are more likely to work overtime to progress their careers than men (11%), and women are also more likely to carry out workrelated duties in their own time. Mark Maloney, head of brand and marketing communications for TotallyMoney, said: “While many employees accept overtime as part and parcel of the job, few people realise the extent to which they are working for free.
“We hope the results of the survey will open company eyes to how unfairly they’re treating their employees, and bring about the step change needed for a more equal workplace - especially for women.”