by Sora Millay

Created on: July 21, 2011

Overtime work is something no one likes to do, but unfortunately it is a fact of life in many jobs today, especially in an economy where businesses are trying to keep costs down. Doing overtime is sometimes just what we have to do to keep our jobs. But since it is a reality, there's no point being depressed about it. Cheer yourself up with some of these benefits you can gain from working overtime.

1. Overtime Compensation

If you qualify for overtime pay, then you know that the additional time you put in is translating to cash in your pockets. Many of us,  however, work for fixed wages and do not earn any extra wages for our effort. But some companies have the practice for giving staff time off for overtime clocked. If that's you, use your vacation plans to power you through the late nights!

2. Opportunities to Shine

Even if there is no compensation of any kind for your overtime work, see it as an opportunity to demonstrate how well you work to your superiors. Employers often have a hard time getting employees to work overtime, so if you have a good attitude about it, pull your weight and are a good team player, that can burnish their impression of you to a shine.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

A more subtle benefit that pays off long-term is simply that working more makes you better at your job. The more competent you are at your work, the quicker you complete your tasks. Experience may not make your job any easier, but it does make the work less daunting. Even if that doesn't mean you get to go home earlier, you are still showing how effective you are.

4. Being Productive

If your work is anything like my old job, you hardly ever enjoy a day where you can focus on just doing one thing. The phone rings, or your colleague has a question, or your boss calls you in for a impromptu meeting. Overtime can become something of a sacred space when you have enough quiet time to work without interruption. The quality of your work goes up, and you get much more done than you would have in a normal afternoon.

5. Team Bonding

Overtime work can build camaraderie among co-workers. After all, you're all in the same boat. Often, the atmosphere during overtime work can be more relaxed due to it being outside normal "office hours" and people are more willing to share about themselves. Also, jokes and a little fun are usually a welcome break to tedium and exhaustion, so you may find people more responsive. 

6. Better Now Than Later

At the end of the day, most people would rather bite the bullet and get the work over with. If the work can be completed by pulling some long shifts, it can be preferable to having it drag over weeks and months.

Learn more about this author, Sora Millay.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.