Organisations may, from time to time, wish to ask employees to work overtime. Whether or not employees are obliged to agree depends on their contract of employment.
An employer that is introducing an overtime system should consider issues such as the process for requesting and authorising overtime and arrangements for overtime pay.
The employer should also consider whether or not the overtime system should form part of employees' contracts.
Employers need to take into account their duties under the Working Time Regulations 1998 when introducing overtime working.
Organisations may need to review their overtime arrangements, for example the amount worked, the payment rates, or the employees eligible for payment.
Employers should bear in mind recent case law on the treatment of overtime in calculating holiday pay.
