At what salary would you consider unpaid overtime acceptable?

[glowingstars]

I’ve recently noticed my colleagues (in office-based, annual salary type roles) are now being much stricter about leaving on time i.e. only working their contracted hours. And if they do end up working late in order to meet a particular deadline, they’re much more likely to ask for time off in lieu at a later point, and managers are agreeing to this.

Obviously this is no bad thing! But it’s a noticeable shift from 2-3 years ago when unpaid overtime was seen as an expected part of the role.

All of these people earn above average salaries, I would guess between 35k and 75k.

It got me thinking, is there a salary point at which you’d consider a) some or b) a lot of unpaid overtime is acceptable? So for example some unpaid overtime should be expected at 50k and a lot at 100k?

Obviously I know this won’t bear much resemblance to how it actually works in the real world (for example I know that teachers do a lot of unpaid overtime and don’t earn high salaries) but I just thought it would be interesting to hear thoughts!

Exactly, but moving up (at least quickly) isn't always about doing your job, but about showing you can do the job above. It's paid off for me - might not be for everyone though and I'm sure lots of people succeed without doing extra hours

I'm a teaching assistant and I work about 7 hours a week more than I get paid for. I do it because I love each and every one of those kids, and I teach year 5/6 so am prepping them for SATS and the transition to secondary. If I didn't do the extra bits before and after the school day; they would be the ones to miss out on the extra intervention lessons.

Again, I'm a TA. I don't exactly work for the money do I 🙄😆

Teaching now starts at £21K in Scotland, I think. Contracted hours are 35 per week; 22.5 hours of which are pupil contact.

As a Probationer teacher I would work 60-70 hours a week in term time. My salary at the time was £14K in 1999. So 25-35 unpaid hours of overtime a week.

I just don't do any unpaid overtime anymore.
I start in time and finish on time.
I don't reply or acknowledge work calls or emails outside of working hours

About 10 hours overtime a week as a teacher and I work 0.5.

I just can't get everything done in less time.

I see the holidays as a pay off.

I did a lot of unpaid overtime for my previous employer. My current employer pays me the same but doesn’t expect me to do overtime and would pay me if they did. Salary the same in both instances, circa £50k. I think in my field I’d need to be on £80-£100k to find regular unpaid overtime acceptable. I think it would vary field to field though.

I don't think anyone should regularly work unpaid overtime. DH has done this since I met him, every night with his laptop, and a month ago was made redundant as company went insolvent. Was it worth it? Nope. That said, I work in a huge organisation with good career progression and the clock-watchers who won't do a minute over their hours (paid upwards of £60k I should add) piss me off when we are in project delivery mode and super busy. They're the same people waiting for a redundancy pay off though. So I think it very much depends where you are in your career journey and the culture.

None, really.

If I want to move up I get results using the resources provided, which include the amount of my time the company purchases from me.

I'll put extra hours in on the occasion it's needed (not as a way of the business minimising staff) but I expect flexibility in return. I'd often go the extra mile in one role I had - my bonuses reflected that, my career progressed and my manager wouldn't let me use annual leave for dd's medical appointments (told me to take her and not worry about it).

I'm on 50k and expected at times to work evening or weekend. Not often but doing so I take time off. I'm
Not entitled to overtime payments.

Time off suits me.

I am a little bit sad that it took until I had scrolled to the bottom of the first page before I saw a view that stated this so unequivocally!

This is my view too. Seeing people my parents age be utterly burned out by work from giving it their all and then just be discarded as worthless when they were no longer useful has truly shown me how little regard most workplaces really have for you.

Regardless of the seniority I achieve, I will never give over vast amounts of my time unpaid, and I will not expect this of my staff either.

My job is not life or death for anyone.

This.

The premise of most forms of employment is that they get a profit from employing you. Don't shaft yourself to benefit their profit margins.

The exception is if YOU are the one benefiting from the profits.

Flexibility is quite a different thing.

I'm finding the number of responses saying they only work their contracted hours fascinating. I'm a solicitor (commercial regional firms and in house) and have never worked just my contracted hours, not have any colleagues I've worked with. There is an absolute expectation of doing more. I thought that was normal, but judging by this thread it isn't.

I agree. No wonder no one wants to do jobs that require lots of unpaid hours anymore.

I am salaried. If I work extra in the week it’s 1.5 times pay…if it’s over the weekend or bank hol it’s double pay. Private sector-pharmaceuticals

I don’t think you necessarily have to get cash for working overtime but you definitely should be getting something, otherwise you are just a mug who is being exploited. Something else could be time off in lieu, flexible working hours or locations (wfh), share options, particularly good work environment, etc, etc.

You can of course gamble and think that it might pay off later, with raises or promotions, but in my experience the odds are really bad. Hard work very rarely pays off in future - you need to make sure it pays off now.

I do agree with this but what is the answer for jobs such as teaching, nursing etc where the job cannot be done in your hours?

I think all of the strikes are answering that question for you.

I'm on a high salary and there's no concept of overtime pay. Neither are there any explicit working hours requirements/ minimums or set hours you need to work. For the most senior top half of the firm, there isn't even a holiday allowance. You go on however much holiday you want to take.

We are measured entirely on the difference we make and the feedback we get. It's assessed yearly and determines bonus and pay rise.

So doing well, financially and in terms of progression, is a huge amount about performing well and learning to work smart (having great impact in very reasonable hours). If you can 'crack the code' it's awesome. But if you don't, you can end up working like a mad person and burning out/ feeling under appreciated.

Millennials don’t do OT. Why? They know it doesn’t work. They’ve seen our lot burn out and be binned.

@Sherrystrull that's the problem. Teachers (well, I can only speak for myself, so, I guess 'I'!) put in unpaid overtime to keep on top of planning, marking, pastoral, extra curricular, CPD etc. If I don't, I look like an idiot, I do a bad job and the kids I teach suffer. I don't like that it's needed though and I protest about it vocally and regularly!

@nc8975 thank you - that's so lovely of you to write that! Makes it worthwhile 😊

None, if the job can't be done in the agreed hours there is something wrong with the organisation structure or the person.

If someone regularly needs to do unpaid non contractual overtime then that job needs more hours and budget allocated to it.

An occasional one off that is given back through flexibility on both sides, or a job that outlines the full hours in return for agreed salary is different.

My husband works 40 hours a week but travels.l often. That was agreed and is reflected in his salary, he doesn't get the extra time back.

I agree. I'm the same.

It seems to me that we are put on a massive guilt trip. You must work all the hours you can or you aren't doing the best for the children.

Of course it makes a difference.

Someone on 100k would expect to do overtime - someone on 35k not so much