Inside this issue...

- Must we pay overtime to employees for training?

Dear reader,

Haven’t you ever wondered why all metaphors for working have negative connotations? People talk of “putting their shoulder to the grindstone” or “it’s back to the salt mines” when they return their concentration to their job. While some of us really do engage in heavy manual labour, I do believe unless this is the case, you really shouldn’t liken your occupation to actual physical strain, with long hours performing menial tasks. As long and as hard as we’re going to be working, let’s try kicking off the New Year by casting a positive spin on work.

On the subject of long hours: your employees may occasionally have to work after hours, but this could be for something quite career-rewarding like training. The only strain here is knowing whether or not you pay them overtime...

Must we pay overtime to employees for training?

Question
Do we have to pay overtime to employees if we require them to attend meetings or training outside of their normal working hours?

Answer
You must pay overtime if:

• Your employees qualify for overtime (generally those who earn under the BCEA threshold of just under R150 000 per annum who don’t regulate their own hours or don’t have the authority to hire or fire, whatever their earnings level), and
• You require them to remain at work after their normal working hours in accordance with the maximum permitted by the BCEA (which is normally a maximum of 45 hours per week, not more than nine hours a day for a five-day a week worker).

Yours sincerely,

Lucelle Buchler
Editor-in-Chief

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