Jersey’s overtime epidemic revealed

Friday 07 December 2018

An overtime epidemic is sweeping the island, with the average employee estimated to be working nearly one month ‘for free’ every year.

According to new figures, senior managers are working the most extra time, taking on an additional eight hours on top of their average contracted time of 37 hours per week.

Middle or junior managers were the second hardest hit, reportedly averaging 40 hours per week – four more than their contracted 36.

Those in “technical or craft” occupations were the only group whose contracted hours matched their actual hours worked, while those in “clerical or intermediate” roles only worked one additional hour per week. 

How many hours are you contracted to work, and how many do you usually work? Find out what Jersey employees said: https://t.co/tdah6244Nn pic.twitter.com/V8ZUbC0hm5

— Statistics Jersey (@JsyStats) December 6, 2018

The findings came in Statistics Jersey’s annual Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Report, which was published yesterday. It involved surveying 1,000 islanders from a sample statisticians say they are confident represents the wider Jersey population.

It showed that the “average” overtime – in line with professional level and manual or service occupation workers – was three hours weekly. 

It means that average Jersey workers without overtime arrangements in their jobs could technically be losing hundreds – if not thousands – of pounds annually, with three hours overtime per week equating to 19.5 working days (nearly one month) going unpaid over the course of a year. 

Many jobs don’t have an overtime pay system in place, while others operate on specific pay schemes that only allow employees to claim a limited amount back.

Pictured: Some workplaces don't pay overtime - research shows that paid overtime is becoming increasingly rare.

The States of Jersey adopts the ‘flexitime’ regime, which means that a certain amount of additional time worked in each month – usually up to two days – can be carried forward to the next month. The remainder of any time worked is “written off” with no option of payment. 

A recent response to a request under the Freedom of Information law showed that 29,541.31 hours were written off across 2017 and the first two quarters of 2018.

The data, which analysed each States Department, as well as Jersey Property Holdings and Trading Standards, showed a dramatic increase in the first two quarters of this year compared to 2017. 

Hours written off totalled 11,298 between January and June this year, over 2,000 more than the same period in 2017.

The head of the island’s largest civil service union previously told Express that this level of overtime was symptomatic of the extreme “goodwill” of civil servants that keeps the island running. 

Feelings that too much of the extra work they are doing is going unpaid has led to feelings of not being valued by the States, he added, and said that, in part, this had stimulated the ultimate decision to begin working ‘to rule’.

The situation is perhaps less bleak than in the UK, however.

UK statistics showed that in 2017 workers were putting in 7.4hours in extra time per week. Overall, it equated to £31.2billion of free labour for employers across the year.