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date: 26 February 2009

embargo: 00.01hrs Friday 27 February 2009

More workers in research, finance and government are doing unpaid overtime

Workers in research and development, finance and public administration (central and local government and defence) have experienced the biggest increases in the proportion of people doing unpaid overtime since the recession started, according to a TUC analysis of official statistics published today (Friday).

The TUC analysis of data from Autumn 2008, the first on working time during the recession, shows that the number of people working unpaid overtime across the workforce has been stable since last year, with around five million workers doing an average of seven hours six minutes unpaid overtime a week.

But looking beneath the surface, the TUC has found significant fluctuations in unpaid overtime that reflect the different ways the recession is impacting on working hours in different industries.

The proportion of workers doing unpaid hours has increased in research and development (up by 2.4 percentage points) and finance (up by 1.5 percentage points). In contrast, the proportion of people doing unpaid hours has decreased sharply in insurance and pensions (down by 7.5 percentage points) and agriculture (down by 5.6 percentage points).

Other workers are also putting in more unpaid hours than last year. Agricultural workers who do unpaid overtime are putting in an extra 13 days free work compared to Autumn 2007. Other big increases include those working in tool hire (up 7 days) and garages (up 5 days).

The TUC's Work Your Proper Hours Day is the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime would start to get paid if they did all their unpaid overtime at the start of the year.

In previous years the TUC has made a light-hearted call for employees to work their proper hours for just one day to remind bosses of the extra effort they are putting in. But at a time when many employees are putting in extra unpaid hours to help their employers through the recession, and save their jobs, the TUC is instead applauding the spirit and dedication of employees who are helping to keep their businesses afloat.

But great care is still needed, says the TUC. Excessive long hours working still needs to be addressed in UK workplaces, especially in a recession, as it can lead to stress and burn out, which lowers productivity and doesn't benefit businesses or staff.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'The recession is bringing new pressure for people to work unpaid overtime. Workers in some industries are racking up the hours to complete the job quicker. But elsewhere work is drying up and workers do not have enough work to fill normal hours, let alone overtime.

'But not all unpaid overtime is useful work helping to overcome the recession. When people understandably fear for their jobs employers still have a responsibility to organise work properly and ensure their workplaces don't get gripped by a long hours culture.

'It would be wrong to replace a 'last person to leave gets a better chance of promotion' attitude with a 'last person to leave is least likely to be made redundant' view.'

This year the TUC has asked Professor Cary Cooper - author of The Long Hours Culture - to offer advice to those who fear they are doing too much unpaid overtime. The advice is available at www.workyourproperhoursday.com

Professor Cary Cooper said: 'During a recession, we must all be fully committed to our colleagues and there is more pressure to work longer hours in order to get the job done. Many employees also feel obliged to put more hours into their work, in order to prove to the boss that they are committed and indispensable.

'However consistently working long hours is likely to affect your health adversely as well as your productivity. A good work-life balance, which offers quality time at home, is vitally important to both the health of the employee and to the long term health of their company or organisation.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Biggest increases in the percentage of employees working unpaid overtime by industry

Industries with the biggest increase in the amount of days given away per unpaid overtime worker

Biggest decreases in the percentage of employees working unpaid overtime by industry

Industries with the biggest decrease in the amount of days given away per unpaid overtime worker

- Cary Cooper is Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University and, alongside Professor Ronald Burke, has recently co-edited 'The Long Work Hours Culture: Causes, Consequences and Choices'

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Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (1,100 words) issued 27 Feb 2009