The reasons for working more hours than contractually agreed upon are diverse. There are many good reasons for this. In the long run, from a societal perspective, overtime is actually quite pointless. I'll explain why in this article.

The supposed meaning of overtime

For an individual, it can be helpful, e.g., to get paid for more hours or to save up compensatory time off. However, it can also be meaningful in order not to leave colleagues in the lurch. For companies, it can be helpful because work continues to be done even if there is temporarily insufficient staff. It is, of course, also good for a company when people voluntarily work overtime (unpaid) to advance the company or a cause important to them – this is often economically profitable as well.

Who is behind the overtime paradox?

From my experience as a management consultant (and also from personal experience 😉), I know this: Generally speaking, the people most at risk of working a lot of overtime are those who are particularly dedicated to their careers. Those who think ahead, want to make a difference, and bring ideas to life. Those who follow a greater vision and seek ways to make it a reality.  Those who give 120% and see more possibilities in their work than simply functioning for an employer. This also includes people who have a very strong sense of teamwork, who support one another so that no one has to handle a workload that might be too heavy alone, or so that, for example, no patients are left without care.  In other words, those who think and act in a particularly socially conscious way, going beyond their own interests. In short, it is often precisely those people who are important to us as a society—those who burn themselves out, exhaust themselves, and ultimately fail in the long run within the existing system—because they are the ones who do not climb the traditional career ladder, as their priorities and values lie elsewhere.

We squander the energy of those with the greatest self-efficacy.

These are the people who can potentially advance us socially. The people we need to break free from old patterns and grow beyond ourselves, beyond what is otherwise customary. These are tomorrow's leaders. And with our current understanding of work, we ensure that this self-efficacy is squandered. We are not getting the best possible for our society, but are stopping at utility on an individual and economic level. Mostly. This is particularly fatal in those professions that are very highly relevant to society in themselves and have low relevance from an economic perspective. Such as professions in healthcare.

When strength fails, the overtime paradox has a negative effect 

Potential is being wasted. On all levels. If someone is engaged and motivated (intrinsically) and sees changes that will benefit us all in the future, and we ensure that this only works within the framework of an add-on to doing one's duty, then we are letting opportunities slip away. Because what happens in the long run? This person will keep going as long as they have energy, then they'll need to recharge and will likely be more hesitant to engage within existing structures. Because the attempt to drive something forward through one's own motivation within a framework that is far too rigid for it is frustrating and drains energy. In the long run, we lose out on potential as a society, because sooner or later these people feel compelled to focus not on the bigger picture, but only on themselves and their immediate surroundings. Not to mention that we let this person run into a wall and then leave them there. And as a society, we stagnate much longer than necessary.