How to Find a Job With Less Overtime

This article is part of the Pay, Package and Work-Life Balance guide.

Excessive overtime — particularly when it is expected rather than optional, uncompensated or unpredictable — is one of the most damaging aspects of a role in skilled sectors. Finding a role with genuinely manageable hours requires more than reading the contracted hours on a job description.

Why job descriptions are misleading on overtime

Most job descriptions state a contracted hours figure — 40 hours per week, 42.5, 45. What they rarely state is the expected or typical actual hours. The gap between contracted and actual is where excessive overtime lives.

An employer with a culture of unpaid overtime, chronic understaffing or poor planning produces actual hours that significantly exceed contracted hours — and the job description will not tell you this.

How to find out before you join

Ask directly at interview: "What are the typical actual hours worked by people in this role?" A good employer will answer clearly. Evasion or "it depends on the week" is worth pressing.

Ask about overtime culture: "Is overtime generally expected as part of the role, or is it genuinely voluntary?" The answer reveals a great deal about how the employer operates.

Speak to current or former employees: LinkedIn connections, industry contacts or Glassdoor reviews from people in the specific role type can tell you what the lived experience is.

Ask Optio: Optio captures working hours and overtime data as part of employer offer intelligence — so you can specifically filter for roles where manageable hours are a confirmed feature of the offer.

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