OVERTIME: You Do Have a Choice
By Yvonne Baert
This article is not about occasional overtime and it is not meant for individuals who work in seasonal industries. It is meant for all those people who work hundreds and hundreds of extra hours each year for no extra pay. They give willingly or grudgingly, believing their efforts will eventually pay off or that their department will fall apart if they don't stay late regularly, organizing and planning for the next day. They are angry, they complain to others about it, but they continue to do it. It is one of the main reasons why people seek alternate employers - lack of appreciation and a feeling of being exploited.
I spoke to a manager recently who complained he works overtime constantly, including long weekends – sometimes 15 hours a week. I frequently hear from people who complain of regular overtime and they receive no guaranteed benefit - perhaps a modest bonus in a good year. We know doctors work too many hours – a danger to patients, and truckers – a danger on our highways. The candidates I meet are usually managers, accountants, programmers and engineers. People may not advise the boss of just how much overtime they are working for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it creeps up and they get used to working through lunch and coming in early or staying late.
When I hear these complaints I have to conclude either business is very good and companies may not be able to find new personnel to alleviate the workload, or there is poor senior management who cannot delegate appropriately and who care more about controlling costs at the expense of their staff.
Some managers may have nobody to delegate the work to in a small firm so they do it themselves, and when they complain about the hours to the owner, the boss says, "We can't afford to hire another person; you'll just have to deal with it." If there are other employment options, one can leave this situation and many do when it becomes chronic or their family life suffers. If there are few employment options, one must be prepared to live without a paycheque for a few weeks. It can be a frightening prospect but if the person is sufficiently upset by their situation, they might be wise to leave and devote themselves to a new job search. My 25 years of recruiting experience tell me that usually two people are hired by the employer next time. Most often the overtime goes under-appreciated. One wonders how the employer would deal with it if this person were struck with a serious illness and laid up for a few weeks.
What is important is that employers understand that it is very costly to find, hire and train new people. It is becoming difficult to find staff with precise skills and experience because of retirements and a shortage of talent in certain fields. Employers should also be aware that the next generation is not willing to accept conditions that affect them and their families negatively. We have candidates who are now turning down offers if they feel there might be too much overtime. These candidates have day care arrangements, aging parents and other family matters to deal with and they’ve witnessed their parents working too many long hours. They are in a position to dictate their terms and moving into management is not always a motivating force in their lives. They need a pay cheque, not a thrall around their necks. Smart employers allow some employees flex time, or the option of working from home, particularly in systems, however this may not always be possible for managers.
In Manitoba the law is that anything worked over 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week is paid at time and a half. There is no juggling, such as 4 hours one day and 12 the next - still counting as 8 and 8 with no overtime due. There are also agreements for a unique 4 day workweek of 10 hour stretches and 3 days off. People who are self-employed or commissioned sales reps work long hours but that is their decision if they want to earn more and feel the need to put in more hours. Managers and salaried are in a different category. It is also my understanding that in this province no contract between an employer and employee can supercede what rights an employee has by law.
There are situations where loyalty prevails, especially in a small company, where the owners may be genuinely nice people and everyone pitches in during a difficult period. If employees can see the future where all will benefit from a short period of long hours, that is something different, particularly if the employer has demonstrated fairness and bonuses in the past. But where companies are being bought and sold to larger corporations, or where owners have less contact with workers and managers, are loyalty and the extra effort worth it? If a person earns $60,000 but regularly works a 50 or 60 hour week, is tethered by cell phone during their vacation period and works holidays, what are they actually earning per hour? It’s a sobering question.
There is a joke about the person who dies and meets his Creator at the Gates of Heaven and the Creator says, "Now don't you wish you'd spent more time at the office?"
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