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What is Time and a Half?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Time and a half is a rate of pay in which employees are compensated for one hour of work as though they had worked an hour and a half. There are a number of reasons for this type of pay to be offered; it is used to penalize employers who overwork staff by forcing them to pay for overtime hours, and it may also be used as an incentive to encourage employees to work on particular days. In some cases, time and a half is offered to an employee who is doing unusual, hazardous, complex, or otherwise special work.

Many countries around the world have legal provisions for time and a half pay. Some governments mandate it for employees who work over a set number of hours per week, such as 40. There are a number of reasons to mandate extra pay for overtime work. The first is recognizing the stress that this work puts on the employee, offering extra compensation for work above and beyond the norm. When employers ask their staff to work overtime, they recognize that their staff will expect to make more money. In addition, it encourages employers to hire more staff, which helps to bring employment rates up.

Overworked employees might get paid at time and a half.
Overworked employees might get paid at time and a half.

On holidays, time and half pay may be offered to compensate for being asked to work on the holiday. In some countries, employees must be paid time and a half for working on government holidays, while in others it is simply encouraged. In some cases, the employee must also be offered an alternate holiday date if he or she ends up working on a national holiday. Since some businesses need employees on every day of the week, this pay can be used as an incentive to ensure that the business is fully staffed.

Time and a half may be used as an incentive to encourage employees to work on particular days.
Time and a half may be used as an incentive to encourage employees to work on particular days.

Some businesses also offer time and a half to employees who perform unusual tasks. For example, an administrative assistant might be offered extra pay if she agrees to travel to a conference with a member of a company and act as a personal assistant, or a line repair man might be offered more for working in hazardous weather conditions. In this case, the extra pay recognizes that the employee is reaching beyond his or her job description or expectations, and it is a form of thanks and incentive.

If you are not familiar with the labor laws in your country, you should research them. You may be entitled to time and a half pay and be unaware of it. Many countries also have whistleblower programs, which protect employees who report employment violations. These programs encourage employees to speak out about workplace violations without fear of retaliation.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a SmartCapitalMind researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a SmartCapitalMind researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

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Discussion Comments

wecallherana

@ellaesans - It really depends on the company's policy. If you're certain that they pay time and a half over 40 hours, then seek out management immediately - especially if this isn't the first time they've stiffed you. Other than that, if you're not seeing immediate action or direct results, keep going up the corporate ladder.

Aside from that, holiday pay is normally reserved for Full-Time employees who have been with the company a certain amount of time (especially if you're working in retail, which it sounds like you might be). This would also be something to follow up with your Manager or Human Resources or Payroll/Admin department. Good luck!

ellaesans

I worked for a company more than 40 hours who had that policy, wecallherana, and they didn't pay me time and a half. Also, they've been skipping out on holiday pay, which is either eight hours automatically, who am I supposed to go to whenever things go wrong like this? This isn't the first time.

wecallherana

This type of pay is often over looked by many companies. Hourly employees should always make sure to keep track of their hours because in most cases, anything over 40 hours is time and a half. Some companies have it where the weekend is also time and a half pay, and you should also keep track of that depending on whether your not you work for a business who has this as one of their stipulations.

plaid

Time and a half can be a tricky, tricky thing. Many companies have their own policies and even the Union is different from other companies out there. You should always check with your employer on what the policy is because they can vary so greatly between businesses.

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    • Overworked employees might get paid at time and a half.
      By: Minerva Studio
      Overworked employees might get paid at time and a half.
    • Time and a half may be used as an incentive to encourage employees to work on particular days.
      By: DragonImages
      Time and a half may be used as an incentive to encourage employees to work on particular days.