There are more people starting work early or finishing later every day than people who are sticking to core office hours, recruiter Robert Walters has found.

The research found that only 25 per cent of professionals stick to set hours compared to more than a third (37 per cent) who start early or finishing late.

A further 38 per cent report their hours being workload dependent.

Catching up on work or meeting deadlines (54 per cent) was the most commonly given reason for regularly working outside office hours, and a quarter reported working late to communicate with teams in different time zones.

As a general standard, many Irish offices operate within the 8am to 6pm window. With a one-hour break for lunch, the average workweek sits at 37.5 hours.

"Despite critical skills shortages impacting hiring plans in some areas, many employers still expect the same productivity and output, putting pressure on existing staff," said Suzanne Feeney, country manager at Robert Walters Ireland.

"Our research indicates that many Irish workers are working longer hours to meet demands or connect with colleagues in different time zones."

More than half (53 per cent) of Irish professionals admit to checking emails while on annual leave as a way of reducing the backlog to which they return.

Research from Microsoft recently found that 40 per cent of professionals worldwide start checking their emails from 6am, and 29 per cent log back in before 10pm, and 20 per cent do so on weekends as well.

The study also found that the number of meetings held after 8pm has increased by 16 per cent year-on-year.

 “To avoid professionals feeling pressured to clock-in at all hours, response times must be clarified through things like time-zone tagging in correspondence, implementing delayed sends and allocating specific, pre-agreed time slots for international calls," said Feeney.

When Robert Walters asked Irish employers how they were approaching skilled talent shortages, 45 per cent replied with redistributing the work among staff, while 26 per cent stated they were hiring less skilled professionals to help fill the gaps.

Existing staff are feeling the pressure as a result, with two-thirds (66 per cent) describing their workload as "heavy" and "demanding".

“Although numerous Irish employers are increasing hiring in 2025, skills shortages continue to leave many crucial positions unoccupied, leaving existing staff to pick up extra tasks and projects just to maintain growth," said Feeney.

"With so many identifying their workloads as heavy or demanding, it’s only a matter of time before this escalates into widespread burnout.”

When asked about different strategies employers could implement to help staff avoid overworking, 43 per cent of Irish workers agreed that they’d like their office to trial ‘power hours’ – allocating specific blocks of time for quiet, interruption-free working to promote concentration and help boost productivity in the office.

“Implementing ‘power hours’ may not fit every workplace, but it does underscore the importance of optimising the working day," said Feeney.

"If employers continue to tolerate a culture of silent overwork within their organisations – especially in the wake of skills shortages – they risk not only burnout and attrition but also a collapse in morale and productivity.

“Addressing this means resetting expectations on working hours from the top.

"Not only should leaders openly acknowledge when responsibilities and remits are increased; clear protocols and expectations should be put in place to ensure staff are supported in prioritising tasks, setting expectations for deadlines and being transparent on their capacity.”

(Pic: Getty Images)