Two-thirds working late to catch up on work, deadlines
Only a fifth of Canadian professionals are sticking to their traditional core office hours, with the majority working beyond the standard workday to keep up with demands.
Just 8% of professionals say they adhere to core hours, while 41% report starting early or finishing late, and 38% say their hours depend on workload, finds the survey.
Why are they working beyond their usual hours? Most are catching up on work or meeting deadlines, according to 64% of respondents.
Additionally, a quarter of professionals work late to communicate with teams in other time zones.
HR departments are averaging 3.7 overtime hours a week, according to a separate report, with the extended hours blamed on interruptions during their working day.
Overtime and workload
Employers are responding to skills shortages by redistributing work among staff (21%) or hiring fewer skilled professionals (31%) to fill gaps, finds the survey.
As a result, 32% of Canadian professionals describe their workload as “heavy” or “demanding.”
“Despite rising costs affecting hiring plans, many employers still expect the same productivity and output, putting pressure on existing staff,” says Sean Puddle, Director of Robert Walters North America, which did the survey.
“Many Canadian workers are working longer hours to meet demands or connect with colleagues in different time zones.”
Traditional office hours in Canada are typically 9 to 5 though many work within an 8 to 6 window, with a 37.5-hour average workweek. However, about 32.5% of federally regulated employees report working unpaid overtime, averaging 2.7 hours per week, according to earlier Statistics Canada research.
“To avoid professionals feeling pressured to clock in at all hours, response times must be clarified through things like time-zone tagging in correspondence, implementing delayed sends and allocating specific, pre-agreed time slots for international calls,” says Puddle.
Strategies to combat overwork
Overworking is an unhealthy habit, and it seems workers in Atlantic Canada are leading Canadians when it comes to this bad deed, according to a separate report.
When asked about strategies to prevent overwork, 44% of Canadian workers said they would like their workplace to trial “power hours”— dedicated blocks of quiet, interruption-free time to boost productivity, finds Robert Walters.
“If employers continue to tolerate a culture of silent overwork within their organizations – especially in the wake of hiring slowdowns – they risk not only burnout and attrition but also a collapse in morale and productivity,” says Puddle, and addressing this means resetting expectations on working hours from the top.
“Not only should leaders openly acknowledge when responsibilities and remits are increased; clear protocols and expectations should be put in place to ensure staff are supported in prioritizing tasks, setting expectations for deadlines and being transparent on their capacity.”
