Northern Ireland workers going theextra mile to keep economy afloat

42 per cent of Northern Ireland's work force are working more hours each week since the current financial crisis began - Lack of access to the right tools and equipment hampering efficiency and productivity

Overtime is becoming the norm for over 40 per cent of staff in Northern Ireland since the financial crisis began, according to a new UK-wide survey from BT*. More than a third of workers surveyed feel compelled to work over their contracted hours every week because of the current climate, with most working an average of seven extra hours per week — the equivalent of an extra day. However, over 32.5 per cent of workers in Northern Ireland are aware of how their job plays a part in the success of the economy and contributes to the £200 million in extra hours that is collectively put into the UK economy each week. **

More than a third (37 per cent) of the 4000 survey respondents from across the UK are putting in extra hours to cope with growing workloads. Colleagues being made redundant (41 per cent) and a renewed focus by companies on improving customer service (35 per cent) were cited as the top two reasons for this. However, over 40 per cent also cited that this situation was being exacerbated by time being wasted in the work place because staff are not equipped with the right tools to do the job. This figure was highest amongst Northern Ireland respondents —compared to the rest of the UK, twice as many workers in Northern Ireland felt they did not have access to the right tools to do their jobs efficiently.

'These findings reflect the length that employees are willing to go to, to keep the economy afloat,' said Colm O'Neill, Managing Director, BT Business in Northern Ireland. 'Employers should look to match these efforts by equipping staff with what they need to become more efficient. Financial incentives may not be an option, but companies should consider how working practices can eliminate wasted time and boost productivity. Using technology to support practices such as flexible working can help companies strip out the fat while maintaining jobs, as well as helping their staff become more efficient with a better work life balance.'

The research also revealed a change in the office atmosphere with 39 per cent of workers here stating there is less laughter in the workplace compared to over a year ago and 35 per cent saying there is greater pressure on staff to perform. Nearly half of Northern Ireland respondents (49 per cent) believe that the offer of flexitime would help to create a better working experience. Flexible working including the option to work from home and improved technology (38 per cent) also factored highly in people's aspirations on how they'd like their workplace to change.

Workers showed a clear willingness to go that extra mile to impress the boss. Over half (51 per cent) of the Northern Ireland workforce has become more proactive and generally work harder in order to impress their employers since the credit crunch began and over a third (35 per cent) turn up to work earlier in order to keep in the bosses good books.

Other key findings from the BT research included:

• People in Northern Ireland and the North East feel the most content from working extra hours whilst Scotland, Yorkshire and Humberside and the South East were least content.
• Over one third of employees in Northern Ireland are making every effort to improve the financial position of their employer, in stark contrast to 22 per cent in London and 17 per cent in the East of England
• Workers in London and Northern Ireland feel that their health and relationships with their partners are suffering the most from working extra hours compared to those in other regions.
• Middle managers appear to be feeling the most strain with workers earning between £41,000 and £51,000pa the most likely to be working overtime since the financial crisis began.
• Over 67 per cent of workers in Northern Ireland are not considering looking for a new job when it looks like we are pulling out of the recession, compared to over half of Londoners.
• Most people said that their management had offered changes to staff. 18 per cent were in companies that had offered part-time work, one in 10 had been offered sabbaticals or asked to work for free for a period of time, and nearly a third had been asked to change job description
• Three times as many workers in the North East, East of England and South West are worried about lack of access to training than workers in Northern Ireland
• Four times as many people in Northern Ireland compared to workers in Wales are late starters in work and get in on average at 10am

'This survey provides great insight into the impact of the unprecedented economic crisis on both employers and employees. The results show the extra efforts that employees are putting in to help sustain their companies through difficult times, while also identifying technology and skills training as opportunities that employees feel with further raise productivity in these organisations,' said Colm O'Neill.