Overtime is rarely planned. It happens when the same few people are the only ones free for the long shifts, and the schedule is built one shift at a time. The fix is to count hours as you assign and, where you can, hand the shift to someone still under the line. We measured how much overtime one invented week still needs, and what it costs, at three different lines.
The roster builder's built-in invented example: a seven-person cafe, 32 shifts, 235 hours to cover, each person's own availability and weekly hour limit, a 10-hour rest gap. Only the overtime line changed between runs (hours past the line are paid at 1.5 times the wage); everything else is the tool's defaults.
| Overtime line | Overtime hours in the best roster | Hours covered | Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 h | 30 | 216 of 235 | $3,890 |
| 35 h | 13 | 216 | $3,739 |
| 40 h | 0 | 216 | $3,622 |
At a 40-hour line this cafe can be covered with no overtime at all. Moving the line to 35 hours, the same schedule can no longer avoid 13 hours of premium pay, and at 30 hours it is 30 hours, about $270 more a week than at 40. Coverage did not change in any run: the search protected covered hours first and let the premium fall where it was cheapest. So the useful question about your own week is how many hours sit just past your line, and who could take them. This is one invented example, not a benchmark, and your availability decides your numbers.
See the overtime in your own week
Write each person's hours beside their name and update it after every shift you assign.
Give the shifts few people can work to those people early, while they have room, then fill the easy shifts around them.
If the only person free would cross the line, cut the shift into two shorter ones for two people instead. The roster builder does this when it is cheaper.
Count each person's hours as you assign shifts and give the next shift to someone who is free and still under the overtime line. When everyone available is near the line, split the long shift or hire cover. The roster builder prices overtime into its search, so it gives hours to people under the line before it pays a premium.
It depends on where you operate and who the worker is. Many places count hours over 40 in a week, and some also count hours over a daily limit. Check the rules that apply to you. The roster builder lets you enter your own weekly and daily lines.