Mandatory overtime contributes to increased mistakes and injuries on the job, and costs employers between $150 and $300 billion dollars a year in fatigue- and stress-related problems by employees who work long hours, according to “Time After Time: Mandatory Overtime in the U.S. Economy,” a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute.
Many employers are cutting hours due to the recession. But in fields with consistent labor shortages, like health care, employers continue to require workers to work more hours rather than hire new employees or raise wages.
There’s very little employees can do about it legally.
“Employers can lay you off when the want and ask employees to work as many hours as they want. Today, it’s harder for an employee to say `I don’t want to work that many hours,’ because you could be the next person laid off,” said Helene Jorgensen, co-author of the study and a research associate with the institute.
Nearly one-third of the workforce puts in more than 40 hours a week. One-fifth work more than 50 hours, according to the study.
Studies have shows that injury rates of workers doubles in the 12th hour of a shift compared to the first 9 hours, Jorgensen said.
Workers who are forced to work overtime also make more mistakes, she said.
“That is clearly a problem in a hospital or healthcare facility,” Jorgensen said.
In the health care industry, mandatory overtime is causing nurses and other workers to quit, exacerbating a labor shortage.
Medical residents cited fatigue as the reason for mistakes in four out of 10 cases.
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