UK Businesses benefit from £225 million of unpaid labour every day
November 9, 2011
UK employees starting earlier, working later and working weekends to put in the extra hours during the economic downturn are providing businesses with £225 million of free hours each day, according to new research.
How has this figure been calculated? Well, Aviva's latest Health of the Workplace Report shows almost 60 per cent of employees regularly work beyond their contracted hours, putting in an average of 1.5 hours overtime a day.
Official ONS data shows the average weekly UK salary is £434 (July 2011). If this figure is divided by 40 hours to give an hourly rate of pay (£10.85) and then multiplied by the total number of unpaid overtime hours work across the UK, the total number arrived at is £225,017,587.
However, there could also be a downside for businesses. As a result of these extra unpaid hours, the health of the UK's workforce may be suffering.
Of the respondents who have put in the extra hours:
- 27 per cent reported they feel tired all the time;
- 23 per cent said they feel really stressed;
- 15 per cent admitted that their diet is suffering as they eat junk food;
- 9 per cent needed to smoke or drink to unwind.
Commenting on the results, Dr Douglas Wright, head of clinical development for Aviva, said: “Most employers make great efforts to look after their workers and ensure they get a good work/life balance.
“Working excessively can have a huge impact on people's mental and physical wellbeing, so anyone who feels they might have a problem, should speak to their manager to address the matter before it becomes a bigger issue.
“Six per cent of workers actually report they have been off sick as a result of overworking, so it's very much in employers and employees' interests to nip any such problems in the bud.”
