Overtime can be an opportunity: something that people voluntarily commit to for additional compensation or greater schedule flexibility. But should workplaces always guard against it? Can overtime ever be a positive option for employees, or should it always be see as the mark of an unstable and potentially exploitative workplace?
The problems with working overtime
An overstretched workforce
- Poor project estimation or time management
- Unrealistic client expectations
- Communication breakdown
- Toxic company culture
- Presenteeism
- When it becomes a structural problem, it can breed employee resentment, distrust and ultimately disengagement – harming your company’s productivity
Benefits of Working Overtime
Give workers the opportunity to earn more: Extra hours can mean getting paid time and a half, or even double pay
- Take advantage of your individual productive flow: The ability to work overtime means you can capitalize on your natural workflow, which may not fit into 9-5 working pattern… and make money in the process
- Offer autonomy and flexibility: Allowing workers to take advantage of their natural productivity flows and manage their own working schedules offers them independence and autonomy
Track overtime
Employers can’t see how much overtime people work and protect against abuses or inequalities without tracking it
- This helps employees manage their working hours and balance out any overtime or secure fair compensation
- There are a few different ways to track overtime including basic and high-tech methods
The issue of overtime pay
While some companies have clear policies on payment (e.g. “time and a half” or “double time”), others aren’t quite so clear… or quite so generous
- Certain companies offer “payment in kind” – like paying for dinner while you work late, which hardly counts as payment
- In order to be truly beneficial, working overtime should always be met with some form of compensation – and that should be satisfactory for the employee, not just the employer
Protect your culture
Actively work against a stay-late culture in your office to ensure people don’t fall into overtime against their will
Working overtime and employee health
Working too many hours can lead to burnout, fatigue and stress
- Overtime can also seriously limit our productivity since when we work extended hours, we don’t give our brains the rest they need to perform well
- Having a proper balance between work and home life is essential for maintaining wellbeing, and working overtime means you can’t prioritize your personal life
The impact of working overtime on culture
It can hamper collaboration
- If employees leave early to make up for prior overtime, it’s harder for colleagues to coordinate with them
- Similarly, if certain employees leave at the normal time but other employees stay late, decisions can be made that are not collaborative leading to miscommunication
- Working overtime can also be extremely harmful for company culture
