HR Specialists urge Employers to monitor senior staff's working hours

HR SPECIALISTS URGE EMPLOYERS TO MONITOR SENIOR STAFF’S WORKING HOURS AS UNION PREPARES TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

HR specialist MHL Support are warning company directors to familiarise themselves with the working habits of dedicated senior staff, or risk losing employees to sickness or rival offers.

MHL issued the warning as news broke that managers are supporting a union campaign against the UK's long-hours culture. The campaign is being launched after research revealed that senior staff put in around 40 extra days a year to cope with their workload.

The Chartered Management Institute is urging workers to stick to their hours this Friday after calculating that if employees worked all their unpaid overtime from the start of the year, February 22 would be the first day they would be paid.

Marc Schroder, CEO of MHL Support. Said: “This news the CMI’s survey of 1,500 managers, who said that efforts to reduce hours in recent years had failed, with nine out of 10 of those questioned regularly working over their contracted hours.

“It stated that the average manager works an extra one hour 18 minutes every day, mainly to meet deadlines or because of pressure of work, and that is something that those managers’ superiors need to take on board. They should keep some kind of record or the additional effort, dedication and time being applied to their managers’ workload, and acknowledge it.

“They should pay particular attention to absenteeism. It could be that work-related stress and over-long hours are taking its toll, and there is also an increased chance that the employee will weigh up the work-life balance and decide to look for another, less stressful and demanding position,” he said.

Mr Schroder added: “There is no disputing that excess work takes its toll on people - almost half of those surveyed said this country's long-hours culture affected their productivity and most said it prevented them having enough exercise. These factors will amass within individuals and they will pay a price; and so will their employers.”

Jo Causon, corporate affairs director at the Chartered Management Institute, said: "Many organisations focus on the cost of absence to their organisations, yet are not addressing the root causes of absenteeism.

"Surely, in today's results-driven environment, output is more important than input, so two questions need to be answered - why are employers ignoring the impact of long hours on the health and performance of their employees and what responsibility are employees taking for how they manage themselves?"

Mr Schroder said: “Considering the pending TUC campaign, it is paramount that directors pay attention to practises in their own companies and take steps to address longer working hours  to avoid any fallout that the campaign will implement.”