Working overtime? You’ll stop getting paid on 16th October.

Many workers feel underappreciated and underpaid, but our recent survey suggests it could be even worse. Do you like your employer so much so you’re happy to miss out on two and half months of wages, meaning you won’t be paid for the rest of the year from 16th October? That’s what the equivalent is for 59% of people who, when asked, said they don’t get compensated for the extra hours they put in. And with Christmas just around the corner, is now the time to demand payment for the hours employees have actually worked?

We commissioned a OnePoll survey of 2,000 workers about the extra hours they work and found that unpaid overtime isn’t just an occasional effort, but a regular part of working life. And with Christmas fast approaching — when we all could do with some extra cash — is now a good time to challenge employers to pay you for the hours you actually work?

Use our Overtime Calculator to see how much unpaid overtime you’re putting in and how much money you’re potentially losing out on. How much does your employer owe you — and how does it affect you?

Overtime Survey Overview

Our survey uncovers the shocking truth about the overtime habits of British workers.

On average, workers in the UK put in 10.1 overtime hours per week, the equivalent of 469 hours per year
59% of workers aren’t paid for the overtime worked
Over half of people surveyed feel stressed due to work
Less than half of people surveyed leave work on time
Nearly 10% work more than 30 hours a week overtime
Only 10% of those surveyed work overtime for the love of the job

Men vs Women

The research found that pay differences between the genders can be found in overtime pay as well.

Only a third of women are paid for working overtime, whereas half of men are
Women (17%) are more likely than men (14%) to work overtime due to pressure from senior figures
Women (16%) are also more likely to work overtime to progress their careers than men (11%) Figures show women are more likely to carry out work-related duties in their own time

Differences by Region

Where in the UK are people doing the most overtime? Putting in an average of 10.56 hours a week, Londoners do the most overtime out of any region in the UK.

East Midlands workers run the capital's grafters a close second, putting in 10.5 hours of overtime per week
Nearly two thirds of those in the East Midlands aren’t paid for their overtime, and over half feel stress because of work
More than 60% of those working in London aren’t paid for their overtime
64% of those working in London feel stressed because of work
Over half of those working in the North East are paid for their overtime Nearly half of those working in East Anglia aren’t stressed due to work

Differences by City

London workers put in the most overtime at 10.56 hours per week, followed by Leicester (10.49) and York (9.71)
Workers in Aberdeen put in the least overtime (4.52), followed by Chelmsford (5.59) and Plymouth (5.82)
72% of workers in Chelmsford don’t get paid for their overtime
70% of workers in Southampton don’t get paid for their overtime
Nearly two thirds of workers in Leicester don’t get paid for their overtime
60% of workers in Glasgow, however, do get paid for their overtime
13% of workers in Newcastle put more than 31 hours overtime per week, yet almost half aren’t paid

Reasons for Overtime and its Impact

Over half of people work overtime due to too work much work (53%)
14% feel pressured into doing overtime by colleagues, while 15% work overtime because they feel pressured from senior figures
15% of people work overtime to progress their career
22% say work gets in the way of exercising, while 20% say it negatively impacts their diet
17% don’t get enough sleep due to work
12% have missed personal engagements due to work
1 in 10 people feel like they can’t refuse to work overtime
1 in 10 people feel they don’t have enough time for friends and family due to work
A quarter of people say working overtime is ‘normal’ to them
A third of people check work-related emails or calls outside of office hours