Women in the UK work on average almost two hours (1.7 hours) more overtime per week than men.
Small Business Prices, a price comparison website, attributes the difference to women having the mentality that they must work twice as hard as men due to societal inequality.
Russell-Cooke partner Alex Bearman appears in HR Magazine commenting on this gendered discrepancy: "In the UK the ability to require staff to work overtime is limited by a rule which provides that working time should not exceed 48 hours per week on average and there are potential criminal sanctions for the employer if this limit is breached. In some cases, long working hours can lead to stress-related absences and mental health problems. This is something which employers need to be mindful of pursuant to their duty to take reasonable steps to look after the health, safety and welfare of their employees.”
UK women working 60% more overtime than male counterparts is available to read via pdf.
Alex is a partner in the employment team, acting for both employers and employees. He specialises in all areas of contentious employment law, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, breach of contract, and has experience of dealing with claims brought in the courts as well as in the Employment Tribunal. He also represents clients involved in discrimination claims outside of the employment field.