In today’s hiring market, where workers are pickier than ever about where and how they work, some employers still list overtime as a benefit in job ads. Let’s be clear: overtime is not a benefit. It’s not a perk. It’s not a selling point. And it’s definitely not what most job seekers are looking for.
Employees don’t want more hours—they want more money! What they value is fair compensation for their time and contribution, not the opportunity to spend more time at work. If you’re relying on overtime to make your jobs more attractive, or worse—relying on it to keep your operation running—you may be sending the wrong message and creating long-term problems that will cost your company in culture, quality, and retention.
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Let’s unpack why overtime is not a benefit, explore the consequences of relying too heavily on it, and offer strategies for reducing your dependence on overtime altogether.
The Overtime Myth: Why More Hours ≠ More Value
Let’s start with a simple truth: most people don’t want to work overtime. Sure, some employees may choose to work extra hours for the additional pay, especially during financially tight times. But that’s a survival response, not a sign of job satisfaction. For the majority of today’s workforce—especially younger generations—work-life balance isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a dealbreaker.
When companies advertise overtime as a benefit, it signals one of two things:
You’re understaffed, and employees are expected to pick up the slack.
You equate money with fulfillment, assuming everyone wants to trade more time for more pay.
Neither is a good look.
Overtime might result in a bigger paycheck, but it often comes at the cost of employee wellbeing, morale, and loyalty. Most workers would rather make a fair, livable wage within a normal workweek and go home on time. That’s the real benefit.
The Hidden Costs of Overtime
1. Cultural Impact
Excessive overtime erodes workplace culture. When long hours become the norm, burnout sets in, team morale drops, and resentment grows—especially among those who are regularly called on to stay late or work weekends.
Employees start to feel like cogs in a machine rather than valued members of a team. And when people don’t feel respected, they disengage. Disengaged employees don’t perform well, don’t stay long, and don’t recommend your company to others.
2. Safety Risks
Fatigue is dangerous. Overtime increases the likelihood of accidents, particularly in labor-intensive industries like landscaping, arboriculture, or construction. Tired workers are more prone to mistakes, injuries, and poor decision-making. This puts not just the employee at risk but also their coworkers, your customers, and your company’s reputation.
You might be saving on hiring by stretching your current crew’s hours—but you’re gambling with safety and liability.
3. Declining Work Quality
Quality drops when workers are exhausted. Whether it’s sloppier work, missed details, or lower customer satisfaction, the effects of overtime show up in your product and your brand. Even your best employees will produce mediocre work if they’re stretched too thin for too long.
4. Higher Turnover
Overtime might seem like a short-term solution to a labor shortage, but it creates a long-term retention problem. Employees who are constantly overworked are more likely to quit. And when they do, the burden shifts to the remaining team, perpetuating a vicious cycle of burnout and turnover.
So, Why Are Employers Still Doing It?
Let’s be honest—overtime feels like a quick fix. When you’re short on staff, pressed to meet a deadline, or trying to maximize revenue in a busy season, asking your team to “dig deep” for a few extra hours seems easier than hiring or training new people.
But if you’re depending on overtime week after week, it’s a symptom of a deeper issue. And like most shortcuts, it catches up with you.
How to Minimize Overtime—and Still Get the Work Done
Eliminating your dependence on overtime doesn’t mean sacrificing productivity or revenue. It means operating smarter. Here are six ways to reduce the need for overtime while maintaining a high-performing team.
1. Better Planning and Scheduling
Often, the root cause of overtime is poor planning. Crews are sent out late, schedules are unrealistic, or weather throws everything off and there’s no buffer. A proactive approach to scheduling—with contingency plans and clear communication—can drastically reduce the need to play catch-up with overtime.
Use data from past seasons to forecast demand more accurately. Schedule jobs more strategically. Build in realistic time blocks for setup, teardown, and breaks.
2. Staff for the Work You Actually Have
If your team needs overtime every week just to stay afloat, you don’t have a time issue—you have a headcount issue (and probably a management issue).
Hiring more staff might seem expensive up front, but the long-term savings in reduced burnout, improved retention, and fewer costly mistakes will pay off.
3. Focus on Efficiency
A streamlined process can save hours of labor per week. Are your crews wasting time on inefficient routes? Are they waiting on materials? Are jobs taking longer because of unclear expectations or poor communication?
Invest time in process improvements. Teach crews how to work smarter—not just harder. Small gains in efficiency can eliminate the need for overtime without sacrificing results.
4. Invest in the Right Tools, Equipment, and Technology
Give your team the tools to do the job right the first time—and faster. Outdated equipment, manual processes, and lack of automation eat up time and energy. Whether it’s newer trucks, better software, or even handheld tools, upgrading your equipment is often cheaper than paying time-and-a-half for extra hours.
Technology can also help with route optimization, communication, tracking labor hours, and minimizing wasted trips or delays.
5. Adopt a Big-Picture, Long-Term Mentality
Stop treating overtime like a band-aid and start seeing it for what it is: a red flag! Long-term success requires long-term thinking. That means building systems, training people, and investing in leadership and culture. It means asking hard questions, like:
Why are we short on staff?
Why is our turnover high?
Why do we always fall behind?
Don’t treat the symptom—treat the cause.
6. Offer Real Benefits, Not Just More Hours
If you want to attract and retain great employees, give them something worth staying for. Competitive pay, consistent schedules, opportunities for growth, paid time off, and a healthy culture are far more appealing than overtime.
When you focus on treating people well, they show up, do great work, and stick around. That’s how you build a strong team and a company that lasts.
Final Thoughts
Listing overtime as a “benefit” is outdated thinking. It may have once appealed to a different generation of workers—but today, people want balance, respect, and fair pay. If overtime is your go-to solution for labor gaps, efficiency problems, or missed deadlines, it’s time to take a hard look at your systems.
Remember: your employees are your most valuable asset. If they’re burning out, your business is burning out. Build a company that respects time, values people, and runs on smart strategies—not just extra hours.
Need help building a team that performs without burning out? BR1 can help! Let’s build your better team, together!
