Are you one of nearly five million people doing an average of more than seven hours overtime every week for free? All that unpaid overtime is worth £5,000 a year. If you did all your unpaid overtime at the start of the year you wouldn’t get paid until 22 February. The TUC has named this date “Work Your Proper Hours Day” in your honour.

If you are an senior IT professional or IT manager, it is even worse. You are working an average of nearly 10 hours additional time each week, worth up to £10,000 a year.

On this day, take a stand by arriving for work on time, taking a proper lunch break and leaving on time. If you’re a manager, why not thank your staff for all the extra effort they put in at work.

In the UK we work the longest hours in Europe. Here's why:

• the law that protects against very long hours is weaker in the UK
• most people don't know about the laws we do have, and they're not enforced
• more and more people do the kind of jobs where overtime is not paid
• and we've just got into the habit where employers expect, and staff are prepared to work, very long hours. It's the dreaded “long hours culture”.

Long hours are not good for us; they cause stress; they're bad for our health; they wreck relationships; they make caring for children or dependents more difficult; and tired, burnt-out staff are bad for business.

It doesn't mean that we should turn into a nation of clock-watchers. Most people enjoy their jobs and find them fulfilling. But there's a need for give and take at work. Putting in some extra hours when there's an emergency or a sudden increase in orders is one thing. The problem is when it turns to all take. Long hours become the norm, not the exception, and even longer hours are needed when a real crisis comes along.

There’s more information and advice on our web site, where you can:

• find out whether you have a long hours problem by taking our quick quiz
• help us to find the best and worst bosses across the country for managing long hours
• post a message on our Work Your Proper Hours rant blog. We’ll publish the best stories on the site.

Visit: www.workyourproperhoursday.com