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I worked with a guy many years ago who lived for overtime.  Actually, I think he relied on it to live.  Even though he had a college degree, and worked in the finance department, he would work overtime in the kitting department (the stockroom for you non-defense contractor types) to pick up a couple of bucks.  He must be mortified by the latest recession trend: unpaid overtime!

In an article on Yahoo Finance, more employees are showing up early for work, putting off vacations, and taking on extra projects to please their bosses.  Add to that, unpaid overtime.  As workforces are cut, the remaining workers are forced to pick up the slack.  I didn’t need to read the article, as I’ve seen it in my own office.  It’s a sign of the times, and a necessary survival strategy.

It’s hard to say just how widespread the phenomenon is. But Labor Department figures show workers have sharply boosted their productivity over the past year as layoffs mounted. Workers’ output-per-hour jumped 2.7 percent during 2008 — nearly double the increase during 2007 and triple the increase in 2006.

In the past, many workers were chastised as ass-kissers if they went above and beyond.  Their fellow employees thought that they were trying to make them look bad by volunteering for unpaid work.  I know, I’ve been on both sides of the argument.  I’ve seen blatant attempts by self-promoters to try to look good in the eyes of the boss.  I’ve also seen people go above and beyond without any motivation other than helping their fellow workers, either by staying late to train people, or helping someone finish a tough assignment before a deadline.

Not all that extra productivity has been voluntary. Some workers are simply forced to do more as co-workers leave, notes Steve Davis, an economist with the American Enterprise Institute.

But this type of unpaid overtime is a new animal.  It’s almost expected that you should put in a few hours for the company without pay.  I could see if it were necessary to ensure the survival of a company, but my company had a great year last year, and yet, it’s still expected.  You would have to do something extraordinary in order to get paid for OT.  There was much griping about this last year, but after a recent small layoff, everyone has kept their mouth shut.  I guess having a job with no paid overtime is preferable to having no job at all.

Often, the efforts amount to common sense. People dress better and show up early. They say nice — OK, flattering — things to the boss. And they try to look busy.  “I’ve started to see a sea change,” Tulgan said. “A growing number of people are saying: ‘I’ve got to roll my sleeves up and do something now.’ They’re finding ways they can identify problems before they happen.”

This eleventh-hour attitude is something I’ve talked about in a prior post.  I find it to be an exercise in futility.  Your boss already knows what kind of worker that you are.  The time to kick it into high gear was last year, when things were good.  If you’ve been sucking wind all along, and just now decided that it’s time to save your ass, you’re too late.  Your boss is going to save someone who he’s counted on in the past.

And it’s hardly guaranteed that anyone’s sudden boost in productivity — or attitude — can avert a layoff. Bosses tend to see through behavior that amounts to, well, sucking up, said Gary Walstrom, founder of Culture Index Inc. consulting firm in Kansas City, Mo.  Walstrom helps companies decide whom to let go. He urges them to focus on hard data — shedding the salesmen who generate the lowest revenue or the customer service staffer with the most unresolved complaints. Someone who starts showing up early once the economy sours isn’t necessarily worth keeping.

So, if you fit into the wind-sucking category, that vacation time that you saved may come in handy - after you get laid off.  Think of it as part of your severance package.

Have you been forced to work unpaid overtime?  If so, how many hours?

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