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26 Aug 2008
IT staff in the UK are working longer hours for less pay according to a new survey by a national recruitment website.
A survey of 500 workers found that almost half were working longer hours than they were two years ago, with more than 40 per cent citing the increasing demands of the job.
More than a quarter were found to be working between 48 and 60 hours per week, despite the fact that nearly three quarters had not opted out of the European Working Time Regulation, which limits hours to 48 hours per week. Five per cent worked 60-75 hours a week.
The effects have been damaging, with more than 40 per cent saying their health had been damaged, 64 per cent believing their social life had been compromised and 41 per cent of respondents said it resulted in no social life at all.
"Employers need to take some responsibility for the impact that overwork can have on their employees' health,” Alex Farrell, managing director at www.theitjobboard.co.uk.
“With our research showing that a significant amount of IT workers find it difficult to maintain relationships or suffer ill health, the UK's culture of working long hours needs to be addressed. As businesses look to derive as much value from their people assets as possible during lean times, it is going to be imperative that we don't drive employees to burnout."
Only 10 per cent of staff were actually paid any overtime for their extra work, despite more than half saying they had to take work home to cope. Only 15 per cent actually complained to management but in more than 80 per cent of cases such complaints were ignored.
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About Burnout
Burnout is a kind of job depression caused by feelings of powerlessness. Long hours, per se, doesn't cause burnout - but overwork that is unappreciated and underpaid in which a person feels trapped or ineffective can be very devastating to motivation. Once motivation is damaged it is very hard to rekindle.
Posted by: Dr. Beverly Potter 27 Aug 2008
European directive opt out is often not "optional" at-all. It's in the contract, sign or don't get a job.
That's what actually happens. I have been fortunate enough to have been in demand for my new job so when I refused to include the opt out and crossed it out (I will NEVER sign the opt out again having been taken advantage of) they could not say anything. I pointed out that if I needed to do more that 12 hours overtime in a week that it would mean we were badly understaffed. That's the equivalent of working a seven day week and it's not until you phrase it that way that you realise 48 hours is actually pretty much all of your waking time. In our trade not having proper time to unwind is actually fatal in the end, by accident or because of health suffering. The results of the survey comes as no suprise to me. I left a job about 15 years ago when my overtime hours reached 60 in one month, unpaid. I was so disgusted that I left before finding another job. I worked late on my last day to help another engineer out of a tight spot and I got a byro as a leaving present. What does that tell you? Slavery.
Posted by: David Lambert 27 Aug 2008