3 Effects Of Overtime On Productivity
What are the effects of overtime on productivity?
- Negative health effects
- Safety issues
- Higher absenteeism
It is alarming to see many workers today work beyond their given working hours, and sometimes they’re even proud of it. There are many reasons why overtime should not be encouraged, as even employers will feel the negative effects it may have. More importantly, one of its greatest casualties is productivity. The effects of overtime on productivity should make it a priority problem to be addressed.
It’s tempting to go the extra mile and work overtime especially if we have a lot of things to get done. However, those efforts are not as effective in the long run. Here, we’ll talk about some possible ways that overtime can affect your productivity. Keep reading to learn more!
Negative Health Effects
The most obvious effect of overtime is the way it can impact our health negatively. Rest is an essential part of our life. It should be considered as important as food and water as we can’t survive without them. Working overtime will surely have negative effects on your physical and mental health. Too much work can lead to overfatigue, burnout, body pains, depression, and other ailments that would stop you from working anyway. Because of these, your productivity will drop in the long run. The most productive version of yourself is the healthy version of yourself, so if you want to get more done, take care of yourself, take a break, and don’t overexert your efforts.
Safety Issues
For some jobs, working overtime can also bring about safety issues. This applies even more to largely physical jobs or workers who work with powerful machinery. As humans, we all have our limits. The more time we spend on the job, the more exhausted we get. We become less attentive, physically weaker, and have slower reaction times. If you work overtime, the effects might be worse for you, making you more prone to mistakes. And if you’re a worker at a nuclear plant, a construction site, or a hospital, these mistakes could lead to catastrophes such as fatal accidents.
Higher Absenteeism
This is another example of the paradox of going overtime to get more work done. If you log extra hours to extra work, the fatigue will eventually get to you. And if you experience burnout, it wouldn’t be easy to shake, leading to a higher absenteeism rate for you. This applies even more if you get a bad physical health condition. Instead of risking your health for extra work, try managing your time better instead of giving too much for one thing.
Key Takeaway
Overall, the effects of overtime on productivity are negative. In fact, they show that you even be less productive in the long run. You would be exposed to health and safety issues which would lead to absenteeism and turnover rates going up. That’s why we advise you to avoid overtime as much as possible.
One way to get work done without having to go overtime is by doing it in a conducive working space. At Workplays, it is our mission to provide a good co-working space for workers, startups, or small businesses. Read more about our pandemic protocols and answers to other frequently asked questions here, or contact us for any inquiries!
