ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Infrastructure / Systems Management

IT pros: A life of unpaid overtime?

By Vivienne Fisher, ZDNet Australia, 12 April, 2002 11:53

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Topics

Staff, Australia, Employee, Share price, hours worked, Overtime, recognition bonus payment, Return on investment, ROI

NEWS
When asked, one IT pro said he couldn't remember the last time his manager had taken him aside and told him to spend time with his family, or just take it easy. "Forget the shirt and tie -- relative to the average working week, corporate salary (workers) work very, very, long hours," he said. Another reader who contacted ZDNet Australia thinks it's a bigger issue. "I am referring especially to companies whose only goal is to jack up the share price," he said. "The IT industry is symptomatic of the 'bricks without straw' mentality that many employers have developed." It's one of those topics where IT pros will comment, but many don't want their names mentioned for fear of jeopardising their careers. And some also question whether it's not unrealistic to expect not to have to work overtime in today's society. One person, contacted for comment, said that overtime was just part of the world nowadays. The overtime may not necessarily be without compensation. The reader who contacted ZDNet Australia said he knew of people who got time in lieu for extra hours worked. A spokesperson for Accenture in Australia said it had a Recognition Bonus Payment for overtime worked. This was available for its staff up to, but not including, manager level. This means that when these staff work greater than 20 percent but less than 40 percent overtime over a six month period they receive a AU$2,000 (£744) bonus. For staff working greater than 40 percent the bonus is increased to AU$4000, with both bonuses paid in a lump sum every six months. Overtime may also be factored into the whole package, according to Angeleen Nayak, a senior consultant at recruitment agency Robert Walters. "People are required to stay back or do what it takes to get the job done," Nayak said. She believes it may also be dictated by the market. "In the past you might have had the extra resources around you and now what we're finding because of the whole rationalisation process, obviously companies are expecting more done per person," she said. "I guess it's all about profit per employee." She said companies were now focused on return on investment (ROI) and profit per employee (PPE). "What we're finding is per employee the companies do expect their staff base to do what it takes to get the job done, (even if) that requires overtime or coming in on weekends." But Nayak said it was also finding that companies did reward their staff, sometimes in non-monetary ways such as time off in lieu for overtime worked, or other incentives.
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