Earn
‘Living at work’: Working from home sees unpaid overtime soar
Since shifting from the office to working from home, Australians have seen a substantial rise in unpaid overtime, costing workers almost $100 billion a year, a study has revealed.
‘Living at work’: Working from home sees unpaid overtime soar
Since shifting from the office to working from home, Australians have seen a substantial rise in unpaid overtime, costing workers almost $100 billion a year, a study has revealed.
Research by The Australian Institute has shown that despite the number of paid hours falling, Australian workers are currently putting in an average of 5.25 hours of unpaid work every week – the equivalent of 7 weeks of full-time work per year.
At the economy-wide level, this equates to $98.6 billion in lost income.
“For many, the reality of working from home is more like living at work,” said Dan Nahum, economist at the Centre for Future Work and author of the report.
“COVID-19 has clearly heightened the challenge facing workers of balancing their paid jobs with their responsibilities at home. Our research shows that working from home is no panacea for this balancing act – in fact, in some ways it makes the problem harder.”
The report also showed the burden of working from home doubles for women over their male counterparts.
The Australian Institute found that 70 per cent of Aussies who are working from home said they are doing some additional work, and a further 21 per cent indicated their employer had an increased expectation of availability.
Of those employees who had additional caring responsibilities, 27 per cent of men had not received time allowances from their employer to do so. But almost half (45 per cent ) of women had not – evidence of an increasing double burden for women.
Men were also more likely to get flexibility from their employer and retain the same pay (57 per cent of men with increased caring responsibilities) compared with women (39 per cent).
“One-third of workers indicated that, post-COVID, they expect to work from home more. But without adequate rules and protections, this risks a further incursion of work into people’s personal time, poorer health and safety standards, and greater polarisation between those jobs that can be conducted from home and those that cannot,” Mr Nahum concluded.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Salary
The financial benefits of a diversified income stream
In today’s volatile economic environment, relying solely on a single source of income can be risky. Diversifying your income streams can provide financial stability, reduce the risk of financial ...Read more
Salary
Despite losing top spot, Elon Musk rakes in $400,000 hourly
Elon Musk, the entrepreneur known for his involvement in a wide range of innovative and technological businesses, has recently been dethroned as the wealthiest individual in the world, with Bernard ...Read more
Salary
Rising unemployment and skill shortages prompt Australian businesses to look globally for talent
Australia has witnessed its unemployment rate surging above 4% for the first time in two years, revealed by the latest Labour Force data. Read more
Salary
New findings link job mobility hurdles to stagnant wage growth
Recent research from the e61 Institute has unearthed significant links between slow wage growth in Australia and obstacles to job mobility, including non-compete clauses, complicated occupational ...Read more
Salary
Employers scrambling to prevent workplace brain drain
As workplace managers face a swiftly evolving employment market that’s increasingly favouring the demands of white-collar employees and jobseekers, bosses are falling under mounting pressure to ...Read more
Salary
Unions back Albanese’s pledge to close gender pay gap
An electoral promise from Labor to make gender pay equity an objective of the Fair Work Act has been hailed as a “watershed moment” from industry peak bodies who have traditionally advocated for ...Read more
Salary
Coles asked to disprove $115m in alleged wage theft
One of Australia’s biggest supermarkets faces allegations that it underpaid more than 7,500 employees a total of $115 million. Read more
Salary
Gen Z left behind in progress to gender equality
Women under 25 may emerge from the pandemic in a worse financial position than when it began, new research has shown. Read more
Salary
The financial benefits of a diversified income stream
In today’s volatile economic environment, relying solely on a single source of income can be risky. Diversifying your income streams can provide financial stability, reduce the risk of financial ...Read more
Salary
Despite losing top spot, Elon Musk rakes in $400,000 hourly
Elon Musk, the entrepreneur known for his involvement in a wide range of innovative and technological businesses, has recently been dethroned as the wealthiest individual in the world, with Bernard ...Read more
Salary
Rising unemployment and skill shortages prompt Australian businesses to look globally for talent
Australia has witnessed its unemployment rate surging above 4% for the first time in two years, revealed by the latest Labour Force data. Read more
Salary
New findings link job mobility hurdles to stagnant wage growth
Recent research from the e61 Institute has unearthed significant links between slow wage growth in Australia and obstacles to job mobility, including non-compete clauses, complicated occupational ...Read more
Salary
Employers scrambling to prevent workplace brain drain
As workplace managers face a swiftly evolving employment market that’s increasingly favouring the demands of white-collar employees and jobseekers, bosses are falling under mounting pressure to ...Read more
Salary
Unions back Albanese’s pledge to close gender pay gap
An electoral promise from Labor to make gender pay equity an objective of the Fair Work Act has been hailed as a “watershed moment” from industry peak bodies who have traditionally advocated for ...Read more
Salary
Coles asked to disprove $115m in alleged wage theft
One of Australia’s biggest supermarkets faces allegations that it underpaid more than 7,500 employees a total of $115 million. Read more
Salary
Gen Z left behind in progress to gender equality
Women under 25 may emerge from the pandemic in a worse financial position than when it began, new research has shown. Read more
