GlossaryStaffing, accountability, and public reporting
Overtime hours
Overtime hours are employee work hours classified as overtime under the source's applicable payroll or labor rules.
Overtime hours are employee work hours classified as overtime under the source's applicable payroll or labor rules. They measure time rather than money or staffing positions. A total needs a period, employee scope, and definition of included work before it can be interpreted or compared across agencies.
Counting the hours
Add the qualifying employee-hours for the stated period. If several employees each work the same event, each person's hours contribute to the total. The federal public-safety employment regulations explain why applicable work-period rules matter; a payroll label does not have one universal threshold across all workers.
An agency may separately identify event coverage, shift backfill, court attendance, training, or reimbursable assignments. Those categories can explain the total more clearly than treating all overtime as one kind of activity.
Example
Hypothetical example: Four employees each record three qualifying overtime hours for a public event. The total is 4 × 3 = 12 employee-hours.
The event lasted three hours for those employees; it did not last 12 hours. The total also does not identify the overtime expenditure without their applicable pay and premium rates. A monetary calculation requires separate compensation information.
Common confusion
Hours worked and hours of compensatory leave credited can differ under the applicable rules. A record should identify which quantity is shown.
Overtime hours also differ from a count of overtime assignments or employees who worked overtime. One person can have several assignments, and assignments can have different lengths.
Comparison scope
Keep dates and inclusion rules consistent. A payroll posting period can differ from the dates work was performed. If a report uses paid hours, approved hours, or hours charged to a grant, preserve that wording. Dividing by total worked hours can produce a share only when both measures cover the same workforce and period.