Overtime request form
Overtime requested in advance is a plan. Overtime discovered afterwards is a dispute. The difference is this form, filled in before anybody stays late.
Submitted by the employee or their supervisor ahead of the extra hours. The record of what was actually worked comes later, on the approval record.
Request to work additional hours Employee name and department: Date the extra hours fall on: DD / MM / YYYY Assigned shift for that date: Shift name and window Extra hours requested: From __:__ to __:__ · total ____ hours Task the extra hours are for: Name the deliverable or the incident, not 'catching up' Why it cannot wait for the next working day: One line Can the work be shared instead: Yes or no, and with whom Hours already worked this week: Before these ones Approved in advance: yes / no · Hours authorised: ____ Approver name ____________ Signed ____________ Date ______ Note: hours above your own policy limit need a second approval. That limit is set by local law and your contract — write it here: ________
How to fill it in
- Name the work. A request that says 'workload' gets approved forever. One naming the deliverable ends when the deliverable does.
- Carry forward the week's hours. An approver cannot judge four more hours without knowing what came before them this week.
- Ask whether it can be shared. Half the requests answered honestly turn into two people leaving on time.
- Approve before, not after. Retrospective approval is really a refusal you are too late to give.
- Fill in your own limit. Maximum hours differ by country and contract. Write yours on the form so nobody has to guess.
Extra hours show up in PeopleMuster as working hours against the person's shift window, so the attendance record shows what was worked beyond it. Working hours against a shift.
Questions people ask about this letter
Does this form decide how overtime is paid?
No. Rates and premiums come from your contract and local law, and they differ widely. The form records what was authorised and what was worked.
Should time in lieu use the same form?
Yes, with the choice ticked at the point of approval. Deciding between pay and time off weeks later is how the argument starts.
What about someone who stays late without asking?
Record it on the approval record and deal with it as a conversation. Unrecorded extra hours are the version that causes real trouble.