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Overtime

Employers commonly ask employees to work overtime to carry out work outside normal hours, for example because of an increased volume of regular work, a temporary crisis in resourcing, or to cover for absences. One area of controversy is the treatment of overtime in holiday pay calculations (Lock v British Gas Trading Ltd).

Employees can be forced to work overtime, whether paid or unpaid, only if this is provided for in their contract of employment. However, it is common practice for employees to work unpaid overtime from time to time, to meet the reasonable requirements of the business.

Employers must bear in mind when asking employees to work overtime the maximum 48-hour working week under the Working Time Regulations 1998. An opt-out is available if the employee agrees.


    • Brexit
    • General Data Protection Regulation
    • Right to work

    Top 10 HR questions April 2021: Vaccination and data protection

    by Brightmine 4 May 2021
    by Brightmine 4 May 2021

    Questions on Covid-19 vaccination dominate this month's list, alongside IR35, right-to-work checks and the relationship between holiday pay and overtime.

    • Latest News
    • Employment tribunals
    • Trade unions

    Union alleges Yodel underpaid night shift workers

    by Ashleigh Webber 9 Mar 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 9 Mar 2021

    The GMB Union is taking Yodel to tribunal over claims hundreds of night workers were underpaid.

    • Coronavirus
    • Latest News
    • Overtime

    Staff put in seven unpaid hours a week during pandemic

    by Ashleigh Webber 26 Feb 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 26 Feb 2021

    The average employee worked 7.7 hours of unpaid overtime each week in 2020 and lost out on £7,000 in wages.

    • Brexit
    • Latest News
    • Holidays and holiday pay

    Brexit: Which EU employment rules could be up for review?

    by Patrick Glencross 17 Feb 2021
    by Patrick Glencross 17 Feb 2021

    Although the government's review of employment rights has been shelved, which laws could it seek to amend in theory?

    • Rest periods
    • Brexit
    • Employment law

    Kwasi Kwarteng: workers’ rights review will not go ahead

    by Ashleigh Webber 28 Jan 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 28 Jan 2021

    Business secretary says review of workers' rights has been scrapped; Matthew Taylor sounds alarm about future of labour market enforcement role.

    • Brexit
    • Case law
    • NHS

    Brexit and UK employment law

    by Darren Newman 20 Jan 2021
    by Darren Newman 20 Jan 2021

    Now that the UK and the EU have agreed on the position of the UK post-Brexit, HR is left wondering...

    • Rest periods
    • Brexit
    • Employment law

    Business secretary denies plans to rip-up workers’ rights

    by Ashleigh Webber 15 Jan 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 15 Jan 2021

    Kwasi Kwarteng has denied reports that government wants to scrap the 48-hour limit, regulations on rest periods and other elements of the EU Working Time Directive

    • Coronavirus
    • Latest News
    • Employment contracts

    Centrica employees face revised contracts with no overtime

    by Adam McCulloch 16 Jul 2020
    by Adam McCulloch 16 Jul 2020

    GMB union enters talks with troubled utilities giant over new terms and conditions and modernisation.

    • China
    • Coronavirus
    • Manufacturing

    JCB cuts workers’ hours as coronavirus hits supply chain

    by Adam McCulloch 14 Feb 2020
    by Adam McCulloch 14 Feb 2020

    JCB is set to cut hours and production as the coronavirus outbreak affects component supply from China.

    • Brexit
    • Coronavirus
    • Zero hours

    Top 10 HR questions January 2020: Coronavirus and Brexit

    by Brightmine 7 Feb 2020
    by Brightmine 7 Feb 2020

    What steps should employers take to manage the coronavirus outbreak?
    At the start of the new year, employers have been...

    • Stress
    • Zero hours
    • Employee engagement

    One in three employees say their job is ‘low quality’

    by Rob Moss 4 Feb 2020
    by Rob Moss 4 Feb 2020

    Research published today shows that 36% of UK employees report having a “low-quality” job.
    Analysis of the Household Longitudinal Study...

    • Case law
    • Commission
    • Latest News

    Holiday pay: why are employers still getting it wrong?

    by Ashleigh Webber 3 Feb 2020
    by Ashleigh Webber 3 Feb 2020

    Many employers are still not getting their holiday pay calculations right, but are they to blame? Ashleigh Webber looks at...

    • Childcare
    • Latest News
    • Family-friendly benefits

    Three in five parents work unpaid overtime to cope with workload

    by Ashleigh Webber 13 Jan 2020
    by Ashleigh Webber 13 Jan 2020

    Flexible working is unable to deliver the work-life balance that parents need, according to a report that finds three in...

    • NHS
    • Latest News
    • Public sector

    NHS to cover doctors’ tax bills to avoid staffing crisis

    by Ashleigh Webber 19 Nov 2019
    by Ashleigh Webber 19 Nov 2019

    The NHS in England is to cover the additional tax bills encountered by doctors in an attempt to encourage them...

    • Latest News
    • Productivity
    • Overtime

    Are employees working too many hours?

    by David Leithead 19 Nov 2019
    by David Leithead 19 Nov 2019

    The traditional 9am-5pm working day is quickly disappearing, but this is because many employees are regularly working beyond their contracted...

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