How much unpaid overtime is reasonable in a £50k role?

[Strumpetpumpet]

I’m 6 months into a new job, which was a bit of a promotion for me. I enjoy it on the whole but am finding there’s too much work to fit into a standard working week. My 2 colleagues who are the same level as me, seem to work lots of evenings and weekends to get everything done. I’m 55, menopausal, don’t sleep well and am always tired, and I just don’t want to have to work tons of additional hours just to keep up. Am I just out of touch and should I expect to be working late nights and weekends at this level?

How the hell are people working 30 hours unpaid overtime a week?? Are you mad! I would never ever do that unless it was for my own company. How are you fitting that time into life. I would never have 30 hours a week spare to work unpaid overtime. I don’t know if you really love your job but if you don’t, please reassess! I don’t think that’s right and you’re doing so much - for someone else’s profit; for free!!!

Zero unless in an emergency. Don't work for free. If you're having to regularly work overtime, then you're either a) not doing your job effectively or b) the company is under-resourced.

Willing to bet most of the people with the really crazy overtime are teachers. But obvs holidays, gold plated pensions etc etc

I earn about 35k working 4 days a week. On an average week my overtime is around 15 hrs. That’s on top of my standard 7:30-5:30 days.

I get any additional hours as flexi. I'm paid my salary for my expertise.

Unpaid overtime reduces my hourly rate, so I would effectively get nothing extra compared to someone with less experience/ less qualified on a lower salary who only works contracted hours.

There is no real expectation of unpaid overtime - my old GR director said this during a formal meeting - manager pd off staff member wasn't doing more hours - I was it was all in the travel to sites, doing a full day on site then driving home (big back story - 6montgs later he was served notice, tge HRD came and occupied an office where I worked and saw bullying, classic!)

I have always worked more hours than contracted, but I have aimed to do them during 'dead time' ie whilst on trains rather than in my time. I've also worked late to miss rush hour. Maybe 1 hour a day but seriously you should all get back to fitting the job into tour standard hours. I would suggest you review workload and prioritise. What you will find is some work might feel or be presented like ' urgent, but its just not important, so push back.

Good luck

I'm on 45K and don't do any overtime. Would claim
TOIL if I did. I work efficiently in the time I'm there and if management want more hours filled they can employ an extra person. My line manager does his hours no more.

30 hours overtime is almost another full time week! That's nuts

I'm genuinely shocked at the amount of unpaid overtime being worked!!

I used to work long hours (55 hour weeks) but would always claim any over time, as long as it was more than 15 minutes.

Now I work for myself and invoice Everything!

To me, it depends on the expected progression for your role. When I was in my 20s and trying to progress quickly through the company I did lots of unpaid overtime as a means to an end - a quicker route to a higher paid role. Now I'm nearly 50 (and in a different job) and not aiming for promotion I don't see much benefit to it. I'm on a similar salary to you OP and I don't do much overtime - some weeks a few hours if it's really busy, other weeks none at all.

Overtime just to get my job done? Generally none or the occasional hour or two a week if I've got a deadline and circumstances have meant I'm behind. I haven't logged on at a weekend for many years. I used to, but my current company discourages this - levels of management would prefer you to discuss what you can't get to and find additional support or agree what can be left. It's the first company in 30 years of work where I genuinely feel people care about wellbeing.

Overtime if there's a crisis? Yes of course, all hands on deck, but generally we'd be given some TOIL as a thank you. No one, no matter their salary, is expected to give up their personal time though - if you can't or don't want to, that's ok. And by crisis, I mean something that would happen in 2-3 years, not every week or month.

Depends what I stand to gain from it. Once we're beyond the point of a permanent contract/legal protections, anything past just finishing up so I don't have to deal with it in the morning is claimed for or used as a point of renegotiation of contract.

I think competitive martyrdom - combined with 'oh, but I wouldn't dream of asking for money for this' - is one of the most toxic parts of workplace culture, as it actively discriminates against those with disabilities, parenting or other caring responsibilities and the poor; the people most vulnerable experiencing disadvantage because they cannot and should not work for free.

Pay me a salary that reflects additional hours and the physical/mental and logistical demands of doing so, put in a guaranteed approval system for extra work, none of that vague promise of TOIL which can never happen because you can't fit everything in during your paid work hours as it is, never mind what you'd have to do after taking leave if they even approved it because there's so much work needed - and you'll get me working willingly.

Start demanding, making sniffy/threatening noises about lack of commitment and telling me 'there's no money for payrises' when I can see others coming in on considerably higher salaries and you'll see me walking through the door and sitting down 1m before official start time and out the door 1m past finish.

Unless you are a lawyer closing a deal or an accountant at year end or another specific role like that where you may have to work long hours for a limited time, 30-40 hours overtime is ridiculous and unsustainable. Doing 40 hours overtime means two full days of extra work (so presumably working all day Sat-Sun) plus a minimum of 2 hours extra everyday. Are you sure they are doing that much? Is it all necessary? That suggests your team is understaffed by 50%. What would happen if you just all stopped doing this overtime, presumably the company would have to employ extra people? And if you continue to work like that, you will just end up signed off ill so they'll end up in the same place.

It really depends what you do (industry)plus what is expected ie your work goals. Just because you earn 50k it doesn't mean you should have to do any over time at all. I used to earn this and did little to no overtime.

I'm on 70k and do zero overtime. I have colleagues on the same amount who do a fair amount but I've decided I am comfortable not getting EVERYTHING done and sitting solidly in the 'good' every year on performance review rather than exceeded cos I've managed to achieve way more. I refuse to give my company free labour

None.

I have never understood the concept.

I do the hours I am paid to do. That's it.

I don't see why I should give my free time to an employer.

I have an actual life.

If you have to regularly do several extra hours per week to me it means:

• you are not good at your job and managing your time

or

• you have an employer who is not willing to hire enough staff to do the work that needs doing and instead relies on exploiting existing staff to maximise their profit.

60k, no overtime outside of odd evenings out with clients which I take back in working time. You agree to start a job on set hours for an agreed salary, excessive unpaid overtime either means they need more staff to cover your rolr or you're r inefficient at your job

None as standard. Sure if the wheels fall off I stay on to get something done but I have zero desire to work any more than my 37 on a regaling basis. Earn more than £50k as well

Regular**

That's exactly what is happening. Our sector is falling apart. And it's an essential service. I'm paid 32.5 hrs according to my payslip. I am in the building usually 8am-6:30 (including working through unpaid lunch break) and 4 out of 5 days do another hour+ at home. Then at least 4-5 hours at the weekend. No, the job cannot be done in less time. Maybe the odd hour or 2 less but not by a significant amount.

The company can't employ more. 1) no one wants to do the job anymore and 2) there's no money to pay them - we can't even afford our heating bill!

Thousands are signed off long term sick with WRS. This is why others have had to take on more and increase their free overtime.

Doing lots of unpaid OT is a really bad idea

The only thing the boss will be interested in is that all the work is getting done

Carry on doing this and it will continue

Stop doing it and it will highlight the staffing issues

Or, you love your job and are climbing up.

I see it's as how do I get the most out of my job, not how many hours have I worked this week.

And if the boss is already well aware of the staffing issue, actually tries to help staff by taking on some tasks themselves, but they are literally unable to do anything about it?

£55k if full time
I have a non working day a week I often log in for a bit as my choice but theres no expectation to do it

Average 8/10 hours a week and only work 0.5 (as someone said above I am a teacher). But I don't do that much in the holidays and they are a benefit.

It's not about not working efficiently though- you could not get everything done without some overtime in my opinion. Well done to any teachers who do!

Sometimes things have to be allowed to fail 🤷🏼‍♀️ You can't just keep piling stuff onto your staff.

Even if its am essential service?