What are the effects on employee morale due to mandatory overtime?

Answer 1

Mandatory overtime sucks. If it is voluntary it is cool especially if you get paid extra overtime pay. Depends on hte situation.
Usually people do not like stuff that was not their idea

Answer 2

It can be a very bad thing. My job is doing alot of mandatory overtime and it has really brought the morale low in the building. We have had 3 people quit which has caused more overtime. People are being held 16 hours a day and most are also working their days off. I work in a mental hospital so it is even causing stress with the patients. Most of the staff do not want to come to work and have threatened to quit if something doesn't get done. Other ppl are not wanting to come work there because they have heard the stories about the mandatory hold overs.
I came home yesterday from shopping and it was my day off. I had 3 messages on my answering machine and another 4 on my cell phone begging me to come to work on my day off. I said no. I need a break.

Answer 3

Well some people go ballistic anytime someone says mandatory to them. So those people will suffer the low morale and tend to start having attendance issues or quit.

Excessive overtime can be dangerous to the employees and to others if its the type of job, such as in medical care, where they are responsible for caring for others.

I think its better to offer overtime as an option for those people that don't mind working it and would like the extra money. Not everyone can handle O.T. especially if they have other obligations at home such as children or elderly parents.

Answer 4

Most corporate leaders realize that extended overtime does take a toll. Academic research cited in the “Time After Time” policy paper provides further evidence.

Quoting a 1999 survey by the Institute for Workplace Studies, the paper notes that when people work more than 50 hours a week, family conflicts jump dramatically. The paper cites research that correlates excessive overtime to increased risks for accidents and injuries on and off the job, as well as diminished quality of goods and services. It also states that overtime impairs an employee's attention span and his or her performance in executive functions.

Overtime does physical damage as well. Work-related stress can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s no small matter if you consider that job stress costs the insurance business $150 billion per year in absenteeism, health insurance premiums, diminished productivity, compensation claims, and direct medical costs.

Ignoring the negative effects doesn’t help anyone, especially management, say experts, as workers often just quit to get away from the overtime situation. That’s exactly what Jon Boroshok of Westford, MA, decided to do. Boroshok resigned his position as a senior marketing communications manager for a speech-recognition software company to start his own business, TechMarcom, Inc., in 1999.

“I went out on my own because of the crazy hours involved,” said Boroshok, explaining that now, as owner of his own business, he has much more control and flexibility over his work hours.

Answer 5

Well I would say there would be mixed reactions, especially based on the overtime rate of pay. How much overtime? 10 extra hours? 20? Will people be able to choose the overtime so that their family commitments won't be missed?
I would say overall, no one wants to be told they have to work overtime, but if the money is right and their are still some options, I think it would be okay for a set amount of time.

Answer 6

Effects to morale are naturally bad. However, morale aside, it's also extremely bad for the employees' health overall. Mandatory overtime has been linked to greater levels of illness and increased injury rates on the job. It also has been associated with weight gain and increased use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. It negatively impacts the employees' families, which leads to more stress, which leads to greater health problems. And if that's not enough to convince you or your boss that it's a bad idea, how about the fact it also leads to inefficiency in the workers. They don't do their jobs as well or as safely. It's a bad idea from start to finish.

Answer 7

Generally, bad. But work is what you make it. If you look at it from a positive standpoint, your making more money! That's always a good thing. And if you maintain a positive outlook, work will be less stressful, days will go by faster, and morale wont cross your mind ever again!

Answer 8

You would have to talk to your manager.It could be that the manager does not know about this mandatory overtime.