Unpaid overtime on the rise

A rising number of Irish employees are taking on unpaid overtime in a bid to cope with increasing workloads.

A survey from Peninsula Ireland, which questioned 934 employees, found that 67 per cent said they worked additional hours on occasion at evenings and on weekends. That was a rise from the 58 per cent recorded in 2011.

The survey also found that 76 per cent of employees work an average of up to 65 minutes extra each month.

It noted that employees frequently use mobile devices to keep up with work while outside their contracted hours, including checking emails and making calls.  However, 43 per cent also said they felt their extra work was not acknowledged by their boss.

Managing director of Peninsula Ireland Alan Price said the issue needs to be addressed.

"The current economic recession has accounted for major cuts for many businesses, and subsequently many companies have reduced staff numbers. This has led to a greater workload for the remaining employees who are forced to comply in order to keep their job safe," he said.

"It may seem petty to be picking up on what may only be a 5 or 10 minutes each time, but these short periods can add up when looked at on a grander scale. Employers should consider incorporating overtime pay into the average rota, to account for any additional minutes clocked up."

However, he said it was the employee's responsibility to inform their bosses of overtime. "It is also important that employers are not enforcing overtime, and creating a large workload for their employees. By simply improving the delegation of tasks between their employees, all tasks could be completed within normal working hours," he said.