Overtime is extra hours worked above legal limits or convention, usually compensated at a higher rate. Companies try to avoid overtime, but workers have rights to compensation and cannot be disciplined for refusing overtime. Some industries allow for longer hours without overtime pay, but this is criticized as inhumane.
Overtime is a term used to describe hours worked above a legal limit or above convention. In many countries, employees cannot work more than 40 hours in a week or eight hours in a day. Overtime should be compensated at a different rate, recognizing that overtime puts additional strain and stress on an employee. Conversationally, “overtime” can refer to these extra hours and additional compensation. Usually, this compensation is paid in one and a half times, although in some areas it can be twice as much.
People working full-time jobs are often at risk of accumulating overtime, as any slight deviation from the schedule can lead to pedestrian accidents. For example, if someone needs to arrive early for a conference call in a different time zone or stay late to get something done, he or she will be given overtime throughout the week without a schedule adjustment, such as a long lunch.
Many companies try to avoid putting their employees on overtime due to the additional compensation required. This can be achieved by not compensating workers for breaks and lunches or by closely monitoring employee schedules. Because overtime requires additional pay, and the employee generally must apply for permission to work overtime, or the employee may be reprimanded for not better keeping track of their hours. In some cases where additional work is obviously needed, employees may be on a contract that allows them to work overtime during periods of demand, such as the weeks leading up to a major product launch.
As workers’ rights are an important issue in many nations, most countries have strict overtime laws. An employee must be compensated at a higher rate for overtime, for example, and employees cannot be fired or disciplined for refusing to work overtime. Arrangements such as giving employees paid time off in lieu of overtime are not uncommon, but they are also often illegal. If an employer asks you to do this, you can politely decline.
In some very specific sectors and under certain circumstances, an employee can work more than the conventional number of hours without receiving overtime pay. These types of deals are most common in the tech industry, where developers can work 10 or 12 hour days at the standard pay rate. This practice has been criticized by some as workloads of this type are immensely stressful and difficult for the employee. While industry conventions may accept these arrangements as reasonable, they are considered by many to be rather inhumane.
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