Youth workers in the UK put in a lot of unpaid overtime. Dipika Ghose asks how widespread this problem is and whether it just comes with the territory.

Overtime is often regarded as an integral part of the business culture of Britain, where employees are thought to endure the longest working week in Europe.

According to a recent Trades Union Congress (TUC) study, unpaid overtime gives employers about 2,500 worth of free labour per worker every year (YPN, 2-8 March, p2). But for many youth workers, overtime is merely an expression of their vocational dedication to the needs of young people.

Beyond the call of duty

The TUC's study ranked youth and community workers 47th out of 81 professions according to the amount of unpaid overtime they did, with 22 per cent working five unpaid hours a week. Teachers and managers topped the list.

Paul Sellers, policy adviser on working time at the TUC, says that while the study doesn't distinguish between different areas of youth work, "it's safe to say the overtime occurs across the board in both statutory and voluntary sectors".

Fiona Westwood, national officer, youth and community at Unison, thinks limited resources, residentials and part-timers who do as many hours as full- timers are the reasons for the overtime.

"There are two areas of concern with overtime - the lack of pay and the lack of time off in lieu," she says. "As the pay issue is often down to a lack of funding, we are calling for more time off in lieu."

The TUC's figures ring true for Denny Anthony, a full-time worker at Hogarth Youth Centre in Hounslow, west London. "When I was part time I was allocated nine or 10 hours a week but always did 15 or 16 just to get things done," he says. "Part-time youth workers are the ones who are really propping up the system. If it wasn't for them the Government wouldn't have a youth service."

But Doug Nicholls, general secretary of the Community and Youth Workers' Union, says the research understates the amount of overtime youth workers do.

"Our study two years ago found that youth workers were doing an average of 10 hours a week extra and rising," he says.

Graeme Tiffany, vice-chair of the Federation for Detached Youth Work, is not surprised by the figures, recalling how he clocked up 100 hours of overtime some weeks.

"On residentials, if young people stay up all night so do you," he says.

"If you work a residential weekend, which can be the equivalent of seven sessions, you will be lucky to get four sessions back."

Hard to say no

The demands of working with young people and other agencies contribute to the pressure of overtime, says Tiffany.

"If you're helping a young person in crisis it can be difficult to 'clock off', especially for less experienced youth workers," he says. "There is also increasing bureaucracy to deal with."

Nigel Jenner, head of the youth support service at Brighton & Hove City Council, agrees. "Full- and part-time youth work has been undergoing an enormous change, with children's trusts, the green paper, Transforming Youth Work and Connexions, on top of its own commitment to young people," he says. "So there is big potential for workers to work above and beyond their hours."

Mick Brent, senior youth officer at Hounslow Youth Service, says: "My worst experience was a residential in north Wales. I got 16 hours sleep in seven days. The problem with youth work is that it is addictive, one of those jobs where you work until it's done, not until five o'clock. Connexions has got working guidelines and the boundaries are more obvious. As a manager, I try to get staff to take time off in lieu, but some don't."

And, of course, this overtime impacts on youth workers' personal lives.

"Some workers don't get to spend time with their own children in the school holidays. It's not ideal and employers need to be clear on this," says Tiffany.

Nicholls agrees: "It is difficult to switch off if your employer is not supporting you in managing your week, and some local authority contracts have even specified an expectation of additional voluntary contributions, which we are fighting to remove." He adds: "We are trying to get a national agreement for time off in lieu with local authorities and to get the profession to accept that a 35-hour week is acceptable."