Working overtime refers to additional working hours beyond the actual working hours. It may be paid or unpaid, depending on the company's overtime policy. Some companies pay their employees for overtime work, and some do not. The overtime working protocol is included in their employee management modules.

What Could Be The Reasons For Working Overtime?

Some people choose working overtime, and some people have to do this to complete their pending work, time-oriented tasks, etc. The reasons differ from person to person.

• We often see newly joined employees face initial difficulties while learning and completing their tasks. Due to the lack of employees in many organizations, the workers do not have adequate learning and training. In such a case, employees have to develop their skills and improve their timings.
• Another reason employees are asked to work overtime is to deal with unexpected retail or manufacturing demand. If consumer purchases exceed sales forecasts, manufacturers may increase production shifts to fill their demands.
• Some companies need to train about the new procedures that lead to overtime working hours during the training period.

What Are The Working Overtime Laws?

Many organizations have a protocol for working overtime. This protocol is included in their employee management modules.

Let us take a look on what are the working overtime laws:

Factories Act 1948: 

As per the Factories Act 1948, employees (above 18 years of age) cannot work for more than 48 hours a week and more than 9 hours a day.

Section 51 Of The Act:

According to this Section 51 Of the Act, the stretch of working hours should be 10–½  hours only. It should exceed the given hours.

Minimum Wages Act:

As per the Minimum Wages Act, the working hour of an adult worker shall be so arranged that including periods of rest it should not exceed 12 hours on any day.

Under Section 33:

It mentions that if any employee is working beyond their normal working hours, they should be paid double their wages. It also states that an employee can take actual work on any day up to 9 hours. But they should be paid double wages for an hour if it exceeds 9 hours or 48 hours a week.

Is Working Overtime Worth It?

Yes, working overtime can be beneficial in respect to obtaining a more productive workforce. The overtime pressure handling can be included as your skill which will be advantageous to you for getting shortlisted in the upcoming interview. Like this, it helps to boost your career. Several companies pay for overtime working which will be beneficial for you to earn more money. Depending on the legal structure, the salary for additional time can be either a regular one or higher than paid normally.

Now, let’s take a brief note on the cons of working overtime:

Working overtime is not worth it when you have priorities other than finance. If this would come at the cost of something you value more than wage rewards leave it. Lastly, if your company isn't paying you for overtime, then it's completely a waste of your hard work. So, if you are going through any of the above situations, working extra is not worth it.

When Is Working Overtime Not Worth It Financially?

Working overtime sometimes feels like a heavy burden, or sometimes you have to do it because you aren't left with any option.

Now, the question arises, 

How would we know that working overtime is worth especially financially or not?

• If the company's working overtime policy includes paying off for overtime then, working overtime is worth it. But, if your company is not paying you for overtime, then it is completely a waste of your hard work.
• When you have other paid opportunities and your full-time employer does not recompense loyalty. 
• When you work extra time you have to pay extra taxes on the amount that is paid to you for working overtime then you should take a sensible decision for not working extra as it is not worth it for you.

You can also watch: EmpMonitor - Best Time Tracking Software

Conclusion:

Some people might do it for productivity, or some are doing it because they have to. Working overtime is worth it when you learn something from it and get paid also for your hard work. But it can be worthless if you are not paid for it.

I hope that the above-given information is easy to understand.