Overtime hours refer to any hours worked beyond the legal working time set by law. In France, any work performed after 35 hours per week qualifies as overtime and must be compensated either through higher pay or compensatory rest.
Employers also have specific obligations regarding overtime, including giving advance notice and ensuring proper rest periods. Managing peak activity periods is complex and often requires overtime management software to streamline scheduling and workload distribution.
Overtime hours are those worked beyond the legal weekly limit set by law or collective agreements, usually 35 hours per week. Overtime can be requested by the employer or voluntarily performed by the employee, but always with employer approval.
Overtime hours are compensated with a pay increase based on the employee’s regular hourly wage.
Overtime pay rates are generally determined by collective agreements in each industry. If no agreement exists, the legal rates apply:
Calculating overtime is straightforward: employers add the correct rate to the employee’s standard wage.
For example, if an employee works 35 hours per week and performs 7 overtime hours, these 7 hours are paid at 125% of the normal hourly wage.
Employers must also respect legal work limits, including:
French law caps weekly working hours at 48 hours, including overtime. Over a 12-week period, the average cannot exceed 44 hours per week. In some cases, this limit can be increased to 60 hours, but only with strict conditions and employee representative approval.
French law also mandates minimum rest periods between workdays, even when overtime is performed. Employees must have:
Employees working overtime must still receive at least one full day off per week. Employers can choose between paying overtime at increased rates or offering compensatory rest instead.
Effective overtime management starts with forecasting workload. This often relates to seasonal peaks or project deadlines. Forecasting helps companies plan staffing levels, avoiding constant reliance on overtime.
With proper planning, tasks can be distributed evenly across teams, avoiding burnout and overwork. In some cases, companies may decide to hire temporary staff instead of relying heavily on overtime.
A clear overtime policy helps employees understand company expectations. Transparent communication reduces misunderstandings and helps build trust between employers and teams.
Key policy points should include:
The Labour Code requires employers to notify employees of overtime at least 24 hours in advance. Employees can refuse overtime if this notice is not respected.
Some industries have different notice requirements based on their collective agreements, but never less than 24 hours.
If this advance notice rule is ignored, employees can legally refuse overtime without facing penalties.
Allowing flexible schedules gives employees more control over their working hours. Flexibility helps employees balance work and personal obligations, reducing overtime pressure.
Where possible, companies can also offer remote work options to improve work-life balance.
Excessive overtime often results from poor workload management. To prevent this, managers should distribute work fairly across teams and define clear responsibilities.
Uneven workloads lead to burnout and higher absenteeism, ultimately impacting productivity. Overtime should remain an exceptional solution, not a regular practice.
Overtime management software helps companies track hours worked, calculate pay rates, and comply with legal requirements.
These tools provide real-time visibility into each employee’s workload, helping companies identify risks of burnout early. They also automate processes like compensatory rest tracking and payslip integration.
With digital tools, companies can easily adjust schedules during peak periods and ensure fair workload distribution.
