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Putting in a few extra hours here and there has become the norm for many workers.
ADP data shows that, worldwide, 62 per cent of workers reported putting in up to five hours of unpaid work each week. Many are working far beyond that. Looking specifically at Canadian data, 13 per cent of workers report logging 16 or more unpaid hours per week.
“Workers might be putting in more unpaid work because they are just more engaged in their work and their role. Because they’re so committed, they are ready to put in those hours outside of normal office time,” says Stacey Hummel, HR executive consultant at ADP Canada. “However, over the long run, this is what can lead to employee burnout and stress, which then brings turnover into the equation.”
The burden of unpaid work is not spread evenly across organizations. According to the research, job level was the biggest determinant of extra unpaid hours. Half of all upper management and C-suite leaders said they put in at least six extra hours per week, while 20 per cent of C-suite leaders reported working more than 16 extra hours weekly. By comparison, 9 per cent of individual contributors reported working off the clock for 16 or more hours each week.
“The fact that unpaid hours rise as job levels rise suggests a cultural norm of ‘leadership equals overwork,’ which can flow downward and normalize unhealthy work habits for all employees,” Ms. Hummel says.
While leaders often are better compensated and therefore may be expected by themselves and co-workers alike to put in extra hours because they signed up for more responsibility, that leadership example can reshape broader workplace expectations. Even employees who are not inherently held to the same expectations may begin to feel pressure to stay connected after hours or take on extra work simply because their leaders are doing the same.
The consequences, however, are not sustainable regardless of job level. Workers reporting higher levels of unpaid labour were more likely to experience stress and less likely to say they were thriving. While they were often highly engaged in their work, they were also more likely to be actively looking for another job – a trend especially visible among executives and upper management.
Ms. Hummel says employers should see this type of free labour as a red flag. “Chronic unpaid work is a precursor to burnout, disengagement and long-term mental health challenges; issues that ultimately cost employers far more than the ‘free’ labour they think they’re gaining,” she says.
She adds that unclear expectations are often what push employees to overwork in the first place.
“Unpaid hours often start to materialize when employees lack visibility into what ‘good’ looks like. Without clear priorities, everything feels urgent and workers default to overextending themselves,” she says.
For employees, that can mean asking managers for clearer priorities, scheduling regular check-ins and resisting the urge to wear overwork as a badge of honour. For employers, solutions include improving delegation, aligning weekly priorities and shifting focus away from hours worked toward measurable outcomes.
“Employers must help workers distinguish between healthy engagement and unhealthy overextension. Engagement should energize, not drain employees,” Ms. Hummel says.
Fast fact
Side hustle
85 per cent
That’s how many Canadians who have side hustles say they started for financial reasons rather than personal fulfillment, according to a survey from marketing automation platform Omnisend.
Career guidance
New boss
Whether you just landed a new job or there’s a leadership transition at your company, dealing with a new manager is both a challenge and an opportunity. How can you make the most of it?
According to this Harvard Business Review article, the first few weeks are prime time to shape how you’re perceived and build trust. Make sure you’re proactively sharing context, taking time to understand your manager’s working style and making intentional decisions to reposition yourself within the team or business if you’re looking for career growth.
Quoted
Future proofing
“If you want to be a content creator, being funny is kind of the one thing that will set you apart from an AI content creator. It’s not about being good-looking, it’s not about being aspirational anymore,” says Lienke Abdeen, a Canadian who enrolled in comedy school after she suspected her role in advertising would soon be eliminated because of AI.
This Toronto Star article shares some of the stories from Ontario students who are scrambling to ‘future-proof’ their careers as AI targets entry-level jobs.
On our radar
Blind spots
As companies race to adopt artificial intelligence, two leaders from medical healthcare services provider Cleveland Clinic Canada warn they are seeing health and wellness ‘blind spots’ that have the potential to nullify corporate efforts to keep pace and realize the benefits of the technology.