Manage overtime

Part-time employees and alternatives

Use of part-time staff or other forms of flexible working could reduce your dependency on overtime.

Employers are free to make their own arrangements concerning overtime rates for part-time staff. You can insist that part-time workers work the normal full-time hours at basic rates before being entitled to an overtime premium. Otherwise, they could earn more than their full-term counterparts.

However, once a part-time worker has worked more than the normal full-time hours, you must pay them the same hourly rate of overtime as a comparable full-time worker. A good rule of thumb is to pay overtime when an employee is working outside normal working hours. See our guide on employing part-time workers.

Flexible working practices often provide cost-effective alternatives to overtime. These include shiftwork, annual hours, flexitime, seasonal and term-time working, job sharing. See our guide on the benefits of flexible working.

You may want to take on temporary or agency workers, or you may want to contract work out. See our guides on taking on staff - the options and on using contractors and subcontractors.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Overtime and employment contracts
• Health and safety issues
• Pros and cons of overtime
• Part-time employees and alternatives
• Using overtime successfully
• Time off in lieu
• Here's how I manage working hours to control costs and avoid unnecessary pressure on staff