Overtime

Overtime is time worked beyond the threshold set by the employment-standards rules that apply to that workplace.

In Canada there is no single national overtime trigger for all workers. Most workplaces follow provincial or territorial employment standards, while federally regulated industries follow the Canada Labour Code. An Ontario example is time-and-a-half after 44 hours in a work week for most employees, but that is an Ontario rule, not a Canadian default.

For shift-based teams, overtime shows up when someone stays past the end of a shift, covers a no-show, or works enough extra hours in a week to cross the local threshold. That means managers need to know which province’s rules apply before assuming when overtime starts or how it is paid.

Different elsewhere: in the US, overtime is often described as one federal pattern, commonly time-and-a-half after 40 hours. In Canada the governing rule depends first on the province, territory, or federal jurisdiction.