Overtime Working: Employee Willingness

A recent article in Employee Relations by Frank Fishwick discussed the high incidence of overtime work in manual occupations in Britain and examined some of the practical difficulties involved in reducing the amount of overtime work. Fishwick concluded that the problem of endemic overtime in British industry is a matter for public concern and that there is no easy solution to this problem. The overtime dilemma is not unique to Britain. Recent data show that 27.3 per cent of all fulltime US workers work overtime; about half of these are working one to eight extra hours per week, another third are working 9–19 extra hours, and the balance are putting in 20 or more overtime hours per week week.