Unpaid overtime work alarmingly rising

The amount of unpaid overtime that workers around the world are doing has soared in the past year and in India, employees are giving away more than 11 hours per week for free on average to their employers, according to a report.

According to a new study by the ADP Research Institute titled 'People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View', the average amount of 'free time' worked has increased by almost two hours per person per week since COVID-19 hit. The 'free time' worked can range from working over breaks and starting early or staying late, to regularly putting in extra work for no additional pay. Globally, the average amount of free overtime being worked each week is now 9.2 hours per person – up from 7.3 hours pre-pandemic, according to the findings of the survey of more than 32,000 workers in 17 countries.

In India, workers believe that they work an extra 11.1 hours per week for free.