Overtime
Overtime is work beyond an applicable working-hours threshold, with payment rules that depend on the job and jurisdiction.
The threshold may come from legislation, an employment agreement or an applicable collective agreement. A job advert saying occasional overtime leaves several questions open: how often it occurs, how hours are recorded and what compensation applies. Ask how the employer handles evening calls, additional shifts and busy periods before using the advertised salary to compare workloads.
Under the United States Fair Labor Standards Act, covered employees who are not exempt generally receive at least one-and-a-half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Weekend work alone does not trigger that federal requirement. Other rules can apply, and a salary does not automatically remove overtime rights. The applicable regular rate can also differ from the basic hourly rate, so check the calculation rather than assuming a headline multiplier answers everything.
Example
A candidate offered a salaried support role asks whether overnight incident work counts as overtime and how the employer records the hours involved.
What to check
- Confirm your coverage and any exemption.
- Check the threshold and payment calculation.
- Keep accurate records of additional hours.