I used to have a personal blog. I was never fanatical about updating it, but I would post a couple of times a week and the readership was decent. Really, it was my way of reaching out to my Facebook list. I stopped blogging three years ago, around the same time that I started blogging elsewhere for money. When friends would ask me why I stopped, I gave them the simple answer: I don’t work for free.
It’s not that I won’t work for free in some instances, like volunteering or favours for friends. But when it comes down to making the choice between taking on extra paid work and writing for fun, writing for money will always win – at least at this point in my life. I’ve spent the last four years working two jobs at a time (for the most part), and working for free doesn’t fit into that schema.
Except people work for free all the time, myself included. We just don’t recognize it as such. When a person stays late at the office, despite the fact that they are paid to work an eight-hour day, they are essentially working for free. That’s the line of thought that led to
a new study coming out of the United Kingdom (UK).
Aviva published a Health of the Workplace Report based on new research about working hours in the UK. All told, UK workers put in 26 million extra hours in the workplace each day. Six in 10 employees were found to regularly work more than their contracted hours, staying an average of an extra 1.5 hours a day. Nearly 25 per cent of the people surveyed admitted that they work an extra 2-3 hours a day.
Let's not assume the UK is alone in this area. While the average Canadian works 36.2 hours per week, according to government statistics, it is unclear how this figure relates to the hours people are actual contracted (and paid) for. I have many friends who stay much more than 2-3 extra hours at the office to complete duties, most of them in law or business. My friends don’t get overtime pay, but their salaries are much higher than average. I wonder how willing they would be to work 14-hour days if they made, say, $30,000 less a year.
Unsurprisingly, the survey also found that the health of the average worker suffers from all of these extra hours in the office. More than a quarter of people reported feeling tired all of the time, and nearly a quarter say they feel really stressed. Fifteen per cent said their diet is suffering, and only 18 per cent of people felt they still maintained a good work/life balance with their extra work hours.
People claim to work longer hours because their workloads are too large, or because they want to impress the boss. Perhaps this is why workplace stress and depression have become such huge issues. With Smartphones and other technology, there’s no real punch clock. A lot of us are always on the clock or, at the very least, competing with others who are always on-call.
What do you think about this study? How much do you work for free?
Yeah, its really starting to get ridiculous how much unpaid overtime salaried staff are getting expected to work. I have hourly employees reporting to me with much less responsibility, yet they get paid overtime and their annual incomes exceed mine and we work the same amount of hours. I'm waiting to see the companies start getting taken to the Labour Board over this . However the Labour Board doesn't stand up for workers and the big companies know this. Our governments are all for kissing big business butt so they have soft places to land when they lose their seats after a election. Bunch of frauds.
Posted by: dave | 12/11/2011 at 08:14 PM
In defence of the bussiness owner/manager etc, Its tough to keep bussinesses afloat and keep people working today. Everyone has to pull their weight.,So you work a little extra free to help the Co. If you have a job ..Get over it.
Posted by: Irish | 12/12/2011 at 04:39 AM
Frankly speaking, I get to take the extra time I work off. I do so on a regular basis, whether its leaving early or taking a day off. I think its a worthwhile arrangement.
Posted by: Good Worker | 12/12/2011 at 07:13 AM
The Royal Bank is really bad for that, I can't even think of the number of hours I worked and didn't get paid. It is so wrong and they are so big!
Posted by: Sam I Am | 12/12/2011 at 08:23 AM
Irish - you should learn how to spell!
Posted by: Sam I Am | 12/12/2011 at 08:27 AM
Sam, this is not a high school assignment. you must have been the teachers pet in school, marking his papers, and licking his test-i-cals. Sam i am loves working for free, correcting spelling mistakes and grammer every chance he can get. Asshole
Posted by: Hero | 12/19/2011 at 03:06 AM
Stop bitching and complaining about things like this. Be thankfull you still have a job. Wait until the econemy gets better than you can do it. Mr.Hero now you can correct my spelling and grammar. Done on purpose!!
Posted by: Armlecker | 12/19/2011 at 04:41 AM
why is there always someone so stupid that they miss the content, but see the spelling mistakes!!
Posted by: stick to the point | 12/19/2011 at 07:03 AM