Team and Culture · Published July 7, 2026
Recording and Compensating Overtime
Neither glamorise nor ignore overtime. Treat it as a cost that must be visible.
Software projects have peak periods, especially near launches. We used to acknowledge overtime verbally, and nobody knew who worked how much, which bred resentment at raise time. So we started recording it formally.
How we record it
One minute before leaving: log hours, whether it was overtime, and why (client deadline, incident, personal arrangement).
Only the manager and the person see the data. No team rankings, no negative scoring in performance.
A monthly summary shows which project and phase absorbs overtime, feeding schedule improvements.
How we compensate
Weekday overtime accrues hourly time off valid for three months, and managers actively remind people to use it.
Launch duty and peak-season support are compensated in half-day units so it is not lost in fragments.
If overtime exceeds the threshold three months running, the manager must analyse causes rather than ask individuals to endure.
Recording overtime is not about judging effort; it keeps scheduling honest. Only visible costs get optimised.
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