The Pros & Cons of Working Overtime

Deciding whether or not to work overtime isn’t always simple and the effects can have both a personal and a professional impact. Today we’ll be exploring the pros and cons of working overtime, the facts of overtime pay laws in the USA, and how to decide whether you’re working too much.

Federal Overtime Laws

First of all, let’s lay some groundwork by talking about overtime pay laws. More specifically, what can your company legally ask of you?

In the USA, federal law dictates that if you work more than 40 hours in a week you have to be paid a minimum of time and a half for those excess hours. In fact, some individual states have even stricter laws.

The only exceptions to this law are for executive, administrative, and professional roles whose total annual pay is high enough to compensate for overtime hours.

If your employer asks you to work overtime, you may feel that you have the right to refuse but, at least according to federal law, this isn’t the case. Unless overtime rules are specifically stated in your contract, your employer can mandate you to work overtime and they are fully within their legal rights to fire you if you refuse.

There are some exceptions to this rule and you should absolutely check your state’s individual laws but be aware that overtime isn’t always a choice. That said, most employers will usually give you the option to refuse in order to maintain a healthy working environment.

The Benefits of Overtime

Working overtime isn’t just about the extra money although that is certainly a bonus. When you work overtime you’re demonstrating a level of commitment to your company, that you care about the project as much as you do about the pay.

Now, let’s be absolutely clear about this: many companies just won’t care. Even if your immediate superior is impressed, and even if your coworkers are grateful, there’s no guarantee that your hard work will ever meaningfully be repaid.

That said, workers who are willing to do overtime and who clearly care about the job are valuable and if you suggest that you might leave your current role, they’re far more likely to make an offer that will keep you around. Put simply, if you’re a valuable employee, then that is an excellent bargaining chip.

It’s also worth noting that you may be saving yourself a lot of hassle but doing overtime upfront rather than letting a problem build up. At the end of the day, companies only ask for overtime because work is time sensitive. Doing that work sooner can save you a lot of headaches later in the week.

The Consequences of Overtime

If you really love your job, then overtime can seem like a no brainer. After all, you’re getting paid extra to do even more of the thing you enjoy.

Unfortunately, there is a dark side to overtime and sometimes the people with passion get hurt the worst. Aside from the basics of burnout and the serious effect that overwork can have on your health (both physical and mental) overwork can really damage your relationships with others.

On the one hand, it’s hard to have a meaningful relationship with anyone when you spend all day focused on your work. On the other, the few hours you do spend away from the job need to matter all the more and this can be difficult when you’re exhausted.

Put simply, overwork makes people cranky and bad tempered and this can further erode relationships with loved ones.

All of which leads us to the most important question…

Are You Working Too Much?

Only you can decide how much work is too much work. For some a 60 hour work week represents a deeply unhealthy habit. For others it brings them a genuine sense of joy and satisfaction.

The term workaholic always sounds negative, independently of the context, but if it brings you joy and it isn’t causing harm to those around you, then it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Of course, we certainly don’t want to downplay the dangers of letting your work rule your life. For many, it can be all too easy to drive themselves mad with stress obsessing over the job while never finding time for the people who really matter to them.

That said, everyone’s situation is different. At the end of the day, all that matters is whether or not your work hours are making you and those you care about happy. Ultimately, the only person who can truly answer that question is you.