December 28, 2011

Working overtime without getting paid for it

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(Archive photo)

By Rex Huppke / The Chicago Tribune

Q: My daughter-in-law works for a very big company and is paid for 40 hours a week, but she winds up working about 90 hours a week with no other compensation. Jobs are scarce, she is one of their best employees, and she doesn't want to say anything. Do you have any advice?

A: Many companies are operating with smaller workforces but expecting the same amount of production. So your daughter-in-law is far from alone in feeling overworked and, given the general salary stagnation, underpaid.

At the same time, the scary job market has people so spooked, they’re afraid to complain about the vending machine being out of Snickers, much less wanting fewer hours or better pay.

I spoke with a rather smart fellow named Aubrey Daniels, author of “Oops: 13 Management Practices That Waste Time and Money (And What to Do Instead)” and a clinical psychologist who has made a career out of applying the principles of behavioral science to the workplace.

He said the last thing anyone should be doing in this economic climate is going to the boss and asking for a raise or in any way complaining about working too many hours. It’s better to take a more tactical approach.

First off, Daniels said, employees should remember that most bosses are too removed from day-to-day operations to have a strong sense of how much any individual is working: “I suggest you find an opportunity to sit down with the boss and say, ‘Let me show you a list of the things I’ve been doing. I’d like your feedback on them. I want to make sure what I’m doing is adding value and helping you get the things done that you want to get done.’”

Rather than complaining, you’re highlighting the work you’re doing and asking the boss to help you do it better. With a little finesse, you’ll sound like a conscientious worker and not a suck-up or a complainer. As Daniels put it: “It’s a way you can brag without bragging.”

There's no reason to expect that this will result in some immediate reward. But ...

“What you do is basically set yourself up for later on,” Daniels said. “When there is money, when there are other opportunities, the boss is likely to think of you first.”

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Career Advice, featured, negotiating, salary, work/life balance

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