The time has come, Mzansi. We must fight to #ReclaimOurLunchbreaks. Some shocking figures have been released this week, which reveal how average South Africans are committing more hours to unpaid overtime, both during and after the working day.

Paul Byrne, the CEO of Career Junction, spoke to eNCA on Thursday night about how workers are giving more than 100% to their employers. Shockingly, Byrne presented research which states the average employee will work for two-and-a-half years in their lifetime for free.

How much unpaid overtime the average South African works

It gets worse. On a sample of 3 000 people surveyed, Byrne estimates that South Africans sacrifice R500 000 worth of unpaid overtime in their careers – a figure that escalates, depending on how far you climb the career ladder.

Two-thirds of us don’t utilise the full allocated time we’re allowed on a lunch break, averaging just 24 minutes off in the middle of the day. Incredibly, only 5% of us get to take a full hour off.

He states that it’s made up scrimping on lunch breaks, and deciding to stay longer at the end of the day. But what’s pushing people into these decisions? We’ve broken it down, with Byrne’s help…

Why South Africans are working so much

unpaid overtime

More responsibility than ever before

It’s argued that employees are facing more responsibilities than ever before. Those who don’t occupy management positions are now being asked to do tasks out of their job descriptions, as companies hire less and try to “streamline” businesses.

Too much to do

According to Byrne, 73% of those surveyed frequently skip lunch, or eat at their desks, in order to get ahead with their workload. Given that people are stretching themselves to do more and more, the possibility of “unexpected tasks” increases. Something can pop up in a morning, pushing one’s whole schedule out of sync.

“Don’t leave before your boss syndrome”

You know the old adage: “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but you should be the hardest worker?” – it turns out, that’s a philosophy being adopted by many South Africans, who feel they need to show loyalty and commitment to a company in order to progress.

Byrne refers to this as “don’t leave before your boss syndrome”, and it’s an epidemic consuming Mzansi.

Time management

Paul Byrne’s take on useless, time-wasting meetings organised by senior officials should be put on a plaque and placed above every office block in the country: