Could overtime be damaging your employees’ engagement?

Working beyond your contracted hours is often seen as a mark of commitment and dedication to your role and responsibilities. However, what was once seen as a reason for promotion is increasingly a cause for concern, as employees who are repeatedly working the longest hours may in fact leave the company the soonest. 

According to recent research from global recruitment company Hays, workers are feeling increased pressure to up productivity levels and hit targets, especially during periods of economic uncertainty.

Overtime amounts remain steady, and 27 per cent of the survey respondents claimed that overtime had in fact increased in their workplace. Adding to this, the Hays Salary Guide found 48 per cent of those working extra time were not financially compensated. 

A workforce who are spending longer hours at their desks and not seeing an increase in their pay slips are likely to become stressed, unengaged and disillusioned with their work.

With demand often continuing to outstrip supply, increased pressure is placed on businesses to deliver – and exceed – operational performance. In order to maintain a footing in today's competitive market, companies need to reassess working structures.

One way to achieve this would be to consider outsourcing various components of the business with software, external agencies or working with freelancers where the needs are greatest.

If the nature of your company requires work to be completed in-house, considering temporary contracts could be another way to ease pressure on the core members of your team. 

These are just a couple of solution ideas to problems that already exist, but a cost effective and useful way to identify and tackle the issues that cause your staff to work longer hours is through employee surveys. This option gives you insight into the thoughts and feelings of your workforce, allowing you to create plans that cut hours and improve job satisfaction. 

Use a free survey demonstration as a starting point to gain insight into your employees' opinions on overtime.