As part of our annual salary guide research, we analysed more than 21 million job adverts and asked 5,000 UK workers a range of questions on their salary and work life, which found that over two-fifths (42%) of employees claim to work more than their contracted hours, completing an average of seven hours of overtime each week.
This means an estimated 14 million* UK employees are working an average of a day’s overtime per week.
Our survey also highlighted that workers feel under pressure, with two fifths (40%) saying they have more work to do than working hours in their day. The same number say that the overtime they work is necessary because their job role and responsibilities require the extra hours. Nearly a third (29%) say it’s because they often have tight deadlines to meet.
Ian Nicholas, Global Managing Director at Reed, said: “We know that the employment market is tight at the moment, with figures released at the end of last year* showing that more than nine million people in the UK are economically inactive. This means that for every three working-age adults in employment, one is inactive.
“It’s maybe not surprising, therefore, that many workers feel they need to pick up the slack or feel they are working extra hours to account for the lack of workers within the market at the moment.
“Adding fuel to the fire, we continue to see businesses struggling to meet rising costs and taxes. Clocking extra hours could be a sign of people wanting to prove their worth to avoid their roles being made redundant if businesses are having to make cuts, or simply working hard to keep things going, whilst their company struggles to make the books balance.
“What we do know, however, is that reviving Britain’s workforce and tackling unemployment has never been more critical.”
The path to becoming Generation X-hausted
Reed’s research also found that, of those working over their contracted hours, less than a third (27%) are paid for the overtime they do, while two-fifths feel they aren’t compensated enough for their skill sets and the effort they put in (40%).
To put the data into perspective, 19 of October is technically the point in the year where full-time employees, who claim they are working an average of seven hours of overtime per week, begin to work for free – having already worked their hours for the remainder of the year in overtime.
“We know that both employers and employees are strained due to rising costs – but it’s important that employees are fairly compensated for the work they do, and that we’re being responsible employers, by looking after the wellbeing of our workforce,” adds Ian.
On top of this, nearly two-thirds (60%) of those who are unhappy with their salary continue to feel the strain of rising bills, stating their salary isn’t keeping up with the cost of living.
However, there are other ways employers can make workers feel valued, with almost a third of workers (31%) saying that additional benefits are key. Thirty per cent want recognition for their achievements, 22% want more thanks from leadership, 22% want more flexible hours, and 19% want clearer career progression.
“Working a few hours over your normal working day to finish a project, or piece of work, is fine and shows commitment, but continuously working over your normal working hours can be detrimental – not only for one’s overall wellbeing, but also for businesses and the wider UK economy,” concludes Ian.
We’ve produced a suite of 10 sector-specific salary guides, to help you ensure your attracting and retaining people with not only the best rates of pay but benefits too. You can also find an in-depth analysis of our survey with 5,000 UK workers within each of the guides.
* - ONS, Nov 2024, 9.25 million people aged 16-64 were economically inactive, and the inactivity rate was 21.8%.
