Overtime loses its appeal as employers scrap time-and-a-half pay - but how much you should be earning for it?
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Paid overtime is far less lucrative than it used to be, with only a minority of workers receiving the traditional time-and-a-half premium, a new report reveals.
One in 10 workers did paid overtime in the past year, but only a fifth got at least time-and-a-half for the extra hours, said the Resolution Foundation.
Overtime is more common in transport, affecting almost one in five workers, and manufacturing (14%), compared with just 4% in teaching, the study found.
More than half of retail workers receive no premium for overtime, said the report.
Conor D'Arcy, senior policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: "Paid overtime is a massive workplace issue for millions of workers, and yet it enjoys a fraction of the attention given to more niche areas like the gig economy.
"This is likely due to it being a bigger deal outside London, and in more traditional sectors like manufacturing and agriculture.
"While paid overtime is popular, it's far less lucrative than it used to be. Only a minority of workers still enjoy the traditional 'time-and-a-half' pay premium."
How much overtime do you work?
If you think you're going well above your weekly threshold, calculate your hours below to work out how much you could be losing in earnings.
Do employers have to pay you for overtime?
(Image: Getty)
ACAS says overtime is classed as hours that are worked outside of your normal hours - the time frame that can be found in your contract. This can be voluntary or compulsory. Compulsory overtime would form part of the terms and conditions of employer.
Unfortunately, there is no legal right to be paid extra for any overtime worked, this may be detailed in the terms of employment.
However, employees' average pay for the total hours worked mustn't fall below the National Minimum Wage.
New minimum wage rates for 2018 *the £3.70 rate apples to apprentices under 19 or in their first year
What about the 48 hour working week?
The law says that most workers shouldn't have to work more than 48 hours a week on average. This includes overtime.
You can choose to work more than 48 hours a week - but your employer can't tell you that you have to.
If you're under 18, you normally aren't allowed to work more than 40 hours a week.
If a worker agrees to work beyond the 48-hour limit they must put it in writing, this is generally known at an 'opt-out'.
Workers have the right to cancel the opt-out agreement, although they must give their employer at least 7 days' notice - a longer period of notice may be agreed by the employer, but it can be no longer than 3 months.
Young people (16 and 17 year olds) normally cannot opt-out of the 48 hour working week, as they may not normally work more than a 40-hours per week.
Help - 'I'm being forced to work more than 48 hours'
Your employer can't force you to work more than 48 hours a week if you haven’t agreed to it in writing. If they do, they could be breaking the law.
If you feel they're taking advantage, raise your concern with your employer to try and work it out.
The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) says if you want to make a formal complaint, you are well within your rights to do so.
To do this, put it in writing to your company or boss. The letter should set out what your complaint is with enough detail for your employer to be able to investigate it properly. You can use CAB's template letter to set out the details of your grievance.
If you need to take matters further, you can make a claim to an employment tribunal. To do this, you must notify the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) of your potential claim first.
If you refuse to work more than 48 hours a week and feel like you're being treated differently because of it, you could be being unfairly treated. If nothing is resolved, you can raise a grievance and then go to a tribunal.