How to reduce overtime with smarter rostering
A lot of overtime is not extra demand — it is gaps filled at the last minute. Plan coverage properly and spread shifts fairly, and much of it can go.
Checked against the official text on
Find the gaps before they cost you
Overtime spikes when a shift is short and someone is asked to stay. Planning coverage for the whole month up front removes most of those last-minute calls.
Spread, don’t stack
When the same people always cover gaps, their hours climb into overtime. A fair spread keeps more people under the weekly limit and lowers cost.
Let the schedule show you
When nobody can take a shift within their normal weekly hours, Rosterna can give it to someone as overtime — but only to staff who haven’t said they are unwilling, up to 12 extra hours a week, and the shift is marked as overtime. If you edit the roster by hand and the change would push someone past their weekly limit, Rosterna won’t save it and says which rule it breaks, unless you mark that shift as overtime.
The Hours report shows each person’s total and overtime hours for the month, so you can see who is carrying the extra hours and rebalance next month.
Know what an overtime hour really costs
Article 107 of the Saudi Labour Law sets the rate: each overtime hour is paid at the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic wage, or the worker can agree to paid compensatory days off instead. Our reading is that allowances count in the hourly wage but not in the 50%.
So an unplanned overtime hour costs the full hourly wage plus half the basic hourly wage on top. The free overtime calculator works out the figure for one employee, and the working-hours guide quotes the articles.
Sources
This is a general explanation, not legal advice. The official text is the reference and can change.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my overtime so high?
Usually because coverage is planned shift-by-shift instead of for the whole month, so gaps get filled with paid extra hours. Plan ahead to cut it.
Does fairer scheduling really lower cost?
It can. Spreading hours keeps more people under the weekly limit, so fewer hours are paid at the overtime rate. How much it saves depends on your team: if it is simply too small for the month, the overtime is real demand, and the fix is hiring, not rotation.
Can Rosterna show who is working overtime?
Yes. The Hours report shows each person’s total and overtime hours for the month. A manual edit that would push someone past their weekly limit is not saved unless you mark it as overtime.
Let Rosterna build your next roster for you.