3.5 Excessive hours (I): non-observance
3.5.1 Defining excessive hours
When working hours and their impact on workers are discussed, the focus
tends to be placed on the extent of long working hours. As discussed in the
previous chapters, most working time regulations have been enacted with a
Global trends in actual working hours 37
particular emphasis on reducing long working hours for the safety and
health of workers, among other objectives. However, it is not easy to know
the extent to which long working hours are undertaken, especially from an
international perspective. The key reason is that the concept of long working
hours is a relative one, depending on how many hours can be seen as long
enough to cause concerns.
There appears to be three ways of examining long hours:
• Hours exceeding the statutory normal hours: this highlights the fact that
the statutory normal hours determine a socially acceptable level of
working hours – ‘observance’ (see below).
• Hours exceeding the maximum hours of work beyond which negative
consequences on workers are known to be visible: the effects on health
and safety are crucial here.
• Hours exceeding those which workers prefer to work: this reflects the
idea that whether or not working hours are ‘long’ needs to be determined
by taking into account whether or not workers would like to maintain or
reduce, or even increase, their working hours. This is closely related to
the concept of ‘inadequate employment related to excessive hours’
which, according to the 1998 resolution of the International Conference
of Labour Statisticians, refers to ‘a situation where persons in employment
wanted or sought to work fewer hours than they did during the
reference period, either in the same job or in another job, with a
corresponding reduction of income’.
Overtime can be beneficial for both employees and companies. It provides the company with the flexibility to cover unexpected absences and changes in demand without hiring more staff and it gives employees extra income at a premium rate.
However, overtime has its downsides too. While many employees will happily take as much overtime as is available, there is growing scientific evidence that relying too much on overtime can lead to numerous problems for an operation.
Below are five consequences to relying on excessive amounts of overtime
Increased Health Problems
A considerable body of scientific work has explored the health problems associated with working excessive overtime. Some health problems that have been linked to long working hours include: 7-11
• Lower-back injury in jobs with a lot of manual lifting
• Higher blood pressure among white-collar workers
• Increased mental health issues
• Increase in total and lost workday injury rates
• Lower birth weight or gestational age in women
• Heavy alcohol consumption among men
• Higher suicide rates
A study by Cornell University shows that approximately 10% of employees who work 50 to 60 hours per week report severe work-family conflicts.12 This number jumps to 30% for those who work more than 60 hours. The divorce rate also increases as weekly hours increase. These factors contribute in turn to mental health and alcohol problems.
A Canadian study showed that workers who increased their work hours from 40 hours or less per week to over 40 hours per week experienced an increase in tobacco and alcohol consumption, an unhealthy weight increase among men, and an increase in depression among women. 13
These health problems contribute to the indirect costs of allowing excessive overtime to occur. Health care costs, absenteeism, and turnover will increase, while productivity will decrease.
#2 - Increased Safety Risk
Long work hours have been linked to increased safety risk in several studies (reviewed by
Rosa), including: 11
Safety and performance at nuclear plants
Impaired performance and lowered attention
An increase in errors in medical facilities
A threefold increase in accident rates after 16 hours of work
These additional safety problems are likely due to worker fatigue, which could be from a single long day or from the cumulative effect of multiple days of long hours. A German study showed that doctors who worked over 48 hours a week were five times more likely to have a driving accident (either while traveling to a call, or while commuting). 14
While working at night and during the early morning has been linked to an increased risk of transportation accidents, research also suggests that long work hours in themselves contribute to accident rates.15 As they become more fatigued, drivers become less cautious, execute more dangerous maneuvers, and exhibit more erratic driving patterns.
Circadian data from shift work operations (not just transportation operations) shows that companies with more fatigue-related problems are also likely to have higher rates of overtime (Figure 6), emphasizing the effect that longer work hours can have on sleep quantity and quality.