News Article - 24 May 2012
Category:

Firms who count boosting productivity as one of their major business goals may wish to cast their eye to the work/life balance, following the statements of one sector commentator.

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said that overtime was now a "defunct concept" as borders between work and play had become blurred, whereas in the past the issue had been more sensitive.

"These days, jobs often don't fit into a strict time schedule and people think about their jobs on the train and even when they get home," he explained.

Mr Emmott added that long hours could be damaging to health, social life and performance in the office and that it was up to the individual worker to decide what they should do if they are offered overtime.

According to a Trades Union Congress analysis of official statistics, workers in research and development, finance and public administration have experienced the biggest increases in the proportion of people doing unpaid overtime since the recession started.

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