Increased Work Hours and Responsibility: Catch 22?

In today’s economic climate, going above and beyond at work by taking on extra roles or working longer hours can often mean the difference between an employee retaining his or her job and being laid off. Working overtime or outside of your job description may help get you through the recession, but there are also disadvantages of doing so.

This article will address the pros and cons of working above and beyond job requirements.

Pros

1. Skill development
Employees who participate in skill upgrading activities outside of their regular work hours, such as Lunch & Learns, Webinars and additional courses, demonstrate that they are enthusiastic and keen to remain current by learning new skills sets. This is a win-win situation in the long run for both the company and the employee.

2. Enhanced visibility
Positive visibility is important, especially in challenging economic times. Going above and beyond expectations in the workplace makes employees more visible which has the dual benefit of helping them make it through hard times as well as potentially setting them up for advancement in the future.

3. Demonstrates loyalty
At all times, but especially in tougher economic times, employers are looking for their employees to have commitment, drive and a positive attitude towards the business. Employees who are loyal to their employers and stay positive in tough times will be rewarded when the good times return. Working overtime or outside of one’s role will show this dedication and loyalty to the company, proving to employers that the employee is in it for the long run.

4. Less likely to be downsized
After surveying fifty of some of the hardest hit employers in the manufacturing sector regarding what employees can do to safeguard their jobs, research indicates that good employees who remained loyal and worked harder during the tough times were the last to go in downsizing situations.

5. Develop new connections
By working outside of a job description, employees have an opportunity to make new connections or contacts that they would not have gained otherwise. For example, if an employee attends a corporate networking event that is outside of their current role, this is an opportunity to make new connections or contacts that can help advance them in their current position, or prove beneficial to their careers in the future.

Cons

Although working overtime and outside of a job description may benefit employees, there are also some downsides to working long hours. And there are laws which employers must abide by regarding hours of work and overtime payments. Following are some disadvantages to taking on additional roles and working overtime.

1. Health issues
According to The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety , workplace stress can be caused by a number of factors including fear of job security, workload, and hours of work. Consistently working overtime, or taking on too many roles may trigger stress and adversely impact employees’ health. Some stress is normal and may even help employees complete work and achieve new goals; however, over-stress such can lead to various health issues and may result in reduced job performance. It’s important to control these activities to avoid the negative health effects that accompany stress.

2. Overtime compensation
In recent years, some organizations have come under scrutiny and incurred lawsuits for their disregard or misinterpretation of the legislative regulations concerning overtime payment. Employees and employers need to understand the rules and keep up to date on the regulations concerning overtime and compensation so that everyone benefits in the long run.

3. Deteriorating work-life balance
Having an equilibrium between the different priorities in your life, both work and personal, defines a work-life balance. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association , “Without good work/life balance, the performance of both employees and employers suffers – productivity drops and rates of absenteeism increase.” By adding more roles to work life, or by increasing the amount of time spent in the workplace, this equilibrium can easily go off balance. If taking on extra roles or working overtime is harming an employee’s work/life balance, steps should be taken to correct this imbalance so as to not adversely affect job performance.

4. Will it make a difference?
When companies need to downsize, at times there is nothing that can be done to save an employee’s position. Working overtime and taking on additional roles, while beneficial in some ways, may not necessarily save the employee’s position at a company. Therefore, employees may see any extra responsibility they take on, or time spent at the company as wasteful and redundant if their position is terminated.


Conclusion

In essence, going above and beyond at work by taking on additional roles or working overtime has both advantages and disadvantages. While efforts such as the above mentioned pros may be helpful to both employers and employees, the resultant stress from taking on too much can also be detrimental to the employee and in turn, be a drain on the company.

Employees must learn to regulate their stress levels and monitor their overtime compensation to ensure that many of the results of going above and beyond at work are advantageous rather than damaging.

Note: This article is not intended to provide legal advice and should not be used as such. Please consult a lawyer if there is any clarification required on the above.