Workplace Report January 2000

Features: Health and safety

Excessive overtime is bad for you

People who work more than an hour of overtime each day, particularly if they are forced to work additional hours by their employer, are more prone to depression, sleeplessness and irritability. They are also more likely to take days off sick, according to a survey of nearly 7,000 managers by researchers at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). The survey found that productivity drops if people work more than five hours of overtime a week. But it also found that managers who voluntarily worked up to an hour each day had greater job satisfaction and better mental health.