Employees are working harder during the recession, claims expert

17 Jan 2012

The economic downturn has meant that many employees in various sectors, including those in permanent IT recruitment, are having to work harder.

That's according to Dr Clare Kelliher, senior lecturer in strategic human resource management at the Cranfield School of Management, who also suggested that this has been going on for some time.

While it has been exacerbated by the recession and the gloomy economic situation, Dr Kelliher claims it has been prevalent in the UK workplace for a long while now.

The blame has been placed by Dr Kelliher at the door of increased competitive pressures for companies.

Dr Kelliher said: "I think there is evidence that's been going on for a period of time. However, there is evidence that that's been exacerbated by the recession, and perhaps, particularly with [lower] job security, [that] might result in people working more intently than they might have done previously."

British employees are putting in two billion hours of unpaid overtime, equivalent to a million jobs, according to recent research from the Trades Union Congress.

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