What to do, say and how to react when your boss asks you to work overtime?
We’ve all been there. Sometimes, it’s very direct, with not much room to bargain. Like, “The company’s pending paperwork needs immediate attention and we want you to stay and work for a little longer.” Or sometimes, it’s more casual and negotiable, like; “It’d be great if you could spend some time after office hours to complete your task because your deadline is pretty near. So best to try and complete this today, what do you say?” Sounds familiar, right?
You will find comfort in knowing that such situations in the corporate world are a shared experience and on occasion, a necessity as well. Let’s look at a very recent example to illustrate this fact. Rewind to the year 2020: Start of the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s a staggering sense of chaos everywhere. Every industry, in even the smallest corners of the world, felt the jolt of this global epidemic. Working overtime became crucial to the survival of businesses; your businesses, our businesses. Without the extra effort, it became nearly impossible to cope with the burgeoning economic load. All personnel, at any stage in their careers, were required to put in the extra hours into ensuring operations proceeded smoothly within their territories. It’s relatable as well because each and every one of us went through it. This is, of course, an example to quote from a more extreme situation. But even in our average routine lives, this is a circumstance we’re quite often faced with. Lots of companies don’t explicitly ask their employees to work overtime as for many, it’s against company policy and culture. However, is it frowned upon? No.
More often than not, you will, or already have, in your professional careers, come to understand that your company will always appreciate you putting in any number of extra hours for tending to your work as overtime essentially contributes to the betterment of the company’s goals and profitability. But in this very fast-paced life with its copious hustles and bustles, facilitating overtime work hours can become difficult. It’s pertinent to understand exactly when and why working overtime can be an important consideration, and in what events. If you struggle with time management, project estimation, insufficient task force etc., then continue reading this article to better understand how overtime can be your ally and give you the necessary competitive advantage you need and seek.
Poor time management:
This applies to all top, middle and first level personnel within a company. Some are more rigid with their work timeline. Some, more flexible. If you happen to fall within the latter, you will often find yourself struggling to meet with your deadlines. In such cases, you should know that spending some time post work hours is not only necessary, but also your responsibility. Simply put, you owe it to your company to make up for the time you lost. Here are some basic and useful tips to get you started on effective time management when it comes to working overtime.
- Prioritize. If you couldn’t during your regular work hours, do it now, without a second thought. Highlight what must be tended to faster than other tasks.
- Keep a personal time log. Some companies require you to track your daily tasks and how long you spend on them. If that’s not the case where you work, adopt this method as a personal habit to better evaluate your time allocation and speed when it comes to your tasks.
- Plan in advance. This will be a great way to know what needs to be done the next day. Take out, at least 20 minutes (or more, depending on the scale of your responsibilities) before the end of your day to mobilize a plan of action for the coming day. Bonus points if you do it for every week but it’s always a wise choice to start easy.
- Don’t fret. It’s best to avoid donning a frown when and if your boss asks you to work overtime because of your lack of time management. You have to acknowledge that your delays are losses for the company. Your boss will appreciate your efforts and such cooperation will extend your value in the company. There are times when your boss may request you to work overtime, as a favour. In those cases, evaluate whether it is possible for you to give in those hours at the required time or negotiate a system with your employer, politely, about lowering the frequency of overtime work.
If you still find yourself frequently working overtime, then it’s a good suggestion to reach out to your employers, or even team members, for help with learning how to cope with the work load. See if they can offer you training on how to use your time more effectively at work. There are multiple courses available online as well at your disposal. First thing on the road to time management is proactiveness, so take the first step yourself towards improvement!
Poor project estimation:
This, too, can apply to anyone at any stage in their professional life. Many a time, we’ll be given some hefty projects to work on with our teams. And we all know these projects, right? They’re lengthy, they’re specific and they require your undivided attention. You have other tasks as well to tend to during the day but the impending thought of catering to this one forces you to keep pushing it until you ‘think’ you have just the right time for it. Here’s some news for you; that time will never come without putting in overtime. But there’s ways to avoid this:
- Break it down. If it’s big, break it down. Even if it’s small, break it down! Break down the project, or task, into smaller, more manageable bits. This will avoid making you feel overwhelmed with the amount of work it may require.
- Delegate what you can. When it’s a complex task, reach out to relevant team members and assign them each a portion from the total workload. This will make work efficient and get you the results you want faster, without having to put in overtime.
- Set manageable goals. Don’t try to take to take it all in at once. Be realistic about what you can and can’t achieve. If your expectations are grounded, you will feel more comfortable about the work as you will know what it is you can expect. Do your due research into understanding the practicality, pragmatically.
Insufficient task force:
Now here we’re shifting the focus more towards top-level positions in an organization. And this is a very common concern. Not enough people to do the work. And this, in essence, is the fodder that feeds the belly of the overtime monster. This isn’t an angry monster, or a scary monster. It’s just a very demanding monster. And while normally, an efficient employee doesn’t find dealing with this (friendly yet needy) monster too difficult, one does have to set some boundaries. The only way you can set these boundaries is with the collective effort of your team. But if there’s no or very little team to work with, then it’s fair play to give overtime its due attention, because you don’t have much of an option. An inefficient task force can lead to many problems and that may lead to putting in extra hours, perhaps even every day. Here’s a few things you can do to make sure you, as a manager or a top-level employee, don’t put yourself in this position.
- Hire smart: When recruiting, ensure that you analyze the candidate(s) thoroughly in order to avoid dealing with premature resignations later on. Make sure you’re hiring the candidates most applicable for the role in terms of aptitude and attitude. Consider investing in a secure screening procedure or a diligent recruitment team to ensure employee retention for your company. If you’re in the stages of hiring employees yourself, then make sure you put in extra time into completely studying your potential recruits before you bring them onboard. Effective overtime here will be of great value to you later.
- Employee Retention: It’s very likely that you struggle with having a decent taskforce because you struggle with maintaining a decent task force. And there could be many reasons for this. Work actively to get to the core of this issue as it’s what can make or break your organization. Even if it means having to put in some extra hours, use the overtime as a godsend to facilitate your company’s growth. Overtime doesn’t always have to be about work. You might even hold some post office hour events to build employee retention and satisfaction. It’s all about how you tip the scales in your favour.
- Overburdening work: A common mistake companies make is allotting a heavy job scope to a small team. Fewer people means more work in overdrive is required in order to meet with the bulk of daily requirements. This can also lead to a constant need to put in overtime hours just to be able to complete the day’s work, leading to employee dissatisfaction, ultimately causing them to leave. While some may enjoy putting in extra hours, it’s not the case with everyone. In fact, the ratio is quite disproportionate. Have an effective systematic review in place in order to monitor the workflow of your employees. This will help you capitalize on your resources in the long run by ensuring your employees stay engaged. Employees should be allowed room to set healthy boundaries to keep their work-life balance intact.
The stigma surrounding overtime should definitely be alleviated. To the fresh graduates reading this, it is imperative to realize that putting in extra hours is necessary to achieving professional growth. Showing an adversity to this very common phenomenon can render you as unfit or unprofessional. To maintain and build your integrity as a reliable employee, always have an open mind when it comes to working towards betterment of the company and your targets. To the seasoned corporates reading this, always know that overtime can be used effectively and wisely. When your boss asks, it’s because they put their trust in you. The most effective way to deal with the aforementioned measures is through positivity and respect, especially with respect for each other’s time. The question, then, to work or not to work overtime becomes manageable and approachable.
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