Working overtime evens out in the end

Friday was the TUC's 'Work Your Proper Hours Day' - designated to show how staying on after paid employment has finished can mount up.

Contrary to popular belief, for people who are single, women put in far more additional overtime than men - with four out of ten single women, aged in their 30s, coming in early or staying-on to complete their workloads, than the one in four men.

Workers with families, however, do less overtime, with one in five men and 17 per cent of women volunteering for extra hours.

TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "Most people think long hours working is mainly a problem for men.

"But when you look at who is most likely to put in those extra unpaid hours at work the picture changes completely. Single women do more unpaid overtime than mothers, fathers and single men. . . but as soon as they have children they no longer have that option. It is hardly surprising therefore that the senior levels of most organisations are male and that the gender pay gap stubbornly persists.

"We are not saying that we should turn into a nation of clock-watchers, but those extra hours are too often taken for granted and, if allowed to build up, can damage people's health, relationships and morale at work. Fairer workloads, better management and a change in culture could make a real difference."

February 25^th 2008

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