What do you do if an employee works overtime without permission?
If unapproved overtime is a concern, start with surveying your company policy. Is the process for obtaining approval to work overtime outlined? Is that trained to everyone? Is the process being consistently applied?
Tips for Managing Unapproved Overtime
Step 1: Have a conversation with the employee to get an understanding of what they know of the overtime policy.
Step 2: Find out why they felt they had to work the overtime.
Step 3: Clarify the overtime policy and the requirement for approval.
Step 4: Explain the reasons why approval is required. (For example: For safety reasons, you may be required to know when people are working. You need to know if projects are behind. You need to know if somebody is overwhelmed or the workload is unbalanced. You need to know what your payroll projections have changed for the week and to account for that.)
Do I still have to pay for unapproved overtime?
Paying an employee for unapproved overtime is required. A part of the conversation with the employee should be about the consequence of future situations where unapproved overtime is incurred.
Remember, most of the time, these situations happen because someone is trying to make sure they do a good job for you. Recognize their efforts and don’t squash their engagement.
Take the time to review your Overtime Policy. Is it up to date and relevant? Making sure your policies are current and communicated is the first step to having a workplace that is fair and consistent.
Contact us today to chat about how we can help you update and roll out a fantastic employee policy program or download our list of recommended policies.
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