RECENTLY-released figures from the Government's Office for National Statistics have highlighted the fact that Thurrock Council is one of the country's leading payers of overtime to its staff.

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) determines the annual mean hours of paid overtime hours worked per person in each local authority.

Thurrock is the joint-third most overworked local authority, with 68 hours of annual mean paid overtime per person.

A study, conducted by the online calculator tool The Calculator Site, examined each local authority's mean number of annual paid overtime hours per person in 2023, as reported in the survey to determine the top four local authorities most at risk of burnout in 2024.

Thurrock comes joint third behind North Lincolnshire Council (78 hours per person, 90.24% above the national average of 41 hours in 2023) and South Holland (73 hours).

Thurrock and Slough rank in joint third place, with 68 hours of annual mean paid overtime per person, 65.85% above the national average in 2023.

Alastair Hazell of The Calculator Site has commented on the study, saying: "One in five people have taken time off work due to stress and pressure in the last 12 months, according to research by Mental Health U.K. These high-intensity feelings can often lead to burnout, with symptoms including lack of energy, frequent illness, headaches and a change in appetite or sleeping habits. 

"It is essential to protect mental health in the workplace. Following this study, employers and employees should calculate their overtime hours. This pre-emptive step will ensure that burnout is not so common in the workplace in 2024, although it will be interesting to see which location will top the list in the coming months."