Why overtime happens
- Rosters built from habit rather than demand.
- Late absences covered by extending on-shift staff.
- Closing tasks that consistently run past scheduled hours.
- Understaffed peaks forcing hours onto a few people.
A practical overtime control system
- Set a weekly hours threshold per employee and flag anyone approaching it by mid-week.
- Require manager approval before any overtime is worked, not after.
- Cross-train staff so absences can be covered without extending hours.
- Audit closing routines — if close always runs over, fix the SOP or the schedule.
- Review overtime by person and by day-part every week to find patterns.
It adds up
Uncontrolled overtime often hides in plain sight because it is spread across many people. Roll it up weekly and it can be 2–4 points of labour cost.