The hidden cost of overtime: staff fatigue, safety risks and burnout in police & healthcare
Overtime isn't just a budget issue — it's a safety and wellbeing issue. Shift workers face more than double the injury rate.
Overtime isn't just a budget issue — it's a safety and wellbeing issue.
Research shows shift workers (especially in police and healthcare) have more than double the injury rate of non-shift workers. Extended overtime leads to:
- Reduced decision-making ability (equivalent to legal alcohol impairment after 17 hours awake)
- Higher rates of vehicle accidents and on-duty errors
- Increased long-term sick leave and workers' compensation claims
- Staff burnout and higher turnover
Public safety and health agencies that actively manage overtime fatigue see fewer incidents, lower absenteeism, and better staff retention. Protecting your people is one of the strongest reasons to get overtime under control.
Identifying where the low-value overtime spend is — and then turning off the tap — allows businesses to reinvest those resources into critical projects, staffing or technology.