- Inner London is among the least overworked local authorities in the UK, with only 21 hours of annual mean paid overtime per person.
- The research examined the mean hours of annual paid overtime in each local authority to determine the areas least likely to suffer from burnout.
New data reveals the local authorities working the least overtime.
The study, conducted by the online calculator tool The Calculator Site, examined each local authority’s mean number of annual paid overtime hours per person in 2023, as reported by the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), to determine the top two local authorities least at risk of burnout in 2024.
Barnet and Redbridge rank in joint first place, with an annual mean paid overtime of 16 hours per person, 60.97% less than the national average in 2023. As such, employees in Redbridge worked 66.7% less overtime compared to the previous year.
Inner London, Lambeth and the City of Edinburgh follow in joint second place. These three local authorities each had 21 hours of annual mean overtime per person, 48.78% less the national average in 2023. Inner London and Lambeth’s annual mean overtime hours also decreased by 20% from 2022.
Alastair Hazell of The Calculator Site has commented on the study: “1 in 5 people have taken time off work due to stress and pressure in the last 12 months, according to research by Mental Health U.K. These high-intensity feelings can often lead to burnout, with symptoms including lack of energy, frequent illness, headaches and a change in appetite or sleeping habits.
“This study examines data on annual mean paid overtime in each U.K. local authority. The research has pinpointed that Barnet and Redbridge are the least at risk of burnout in 2024, due to having the least overtime hours worked in 2023. Following this study, employers and employees should calculate their overtime hours, ensuring that burnout is not avoided in the workplace this year.”
