According to new analysis published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), 3.5 million people did unpaid overtime in 2022, putting in an average of 7.4 unpaid hours a week. The TUC is therefore urging companies to stop relying on staff doing extra hours for free and last week staged their 19th annual Work Your Proper Hours Day.

In 2022, UK employers claimed £26 billion of free labour because of workers doing unpaid overtime, while the government claimed £8.6 billion worth of unpaid overtime from public sector staff last year. One in seven public sector workers (14.8%) did unpaid overtime, compared to one in nine (11.7%) in the private sector.

By occupation, Chief Executives topped the list of those doing the most unpaid overtime - averaging 13.2 hours a week. Teaching staff were next, on 12.1 hours, with Finance Managers putting in 11.3 hours and Managers in production and health care working an extra 10 hours a week.

Despite this, unpaid overtime was lower than the previous year, in 2021.  The number of workers doing unpaid overtime was down from 3.8 million and how many hours of unpaid overtime worked, down from 7.6 hours in 2021.

By publicising Work Your Proper Hours Day, the TUC are encouraging employees to take proper lunch breaks, as well as finishing work on time. To support staff, management are asked to set reasonable workloads and also leave on time, thus setting an example.

TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:

"Few of us mind putting in some extra time when it's needed, but if it happens all the time and gets taken for granted, that's a problem.

"So make a stand today, take your full lunch break and go home on time.

"The best bosses understand that a long-hours culture doesn't get good results.

"So we're asking managers to set an example by leaving on time too."