Working Hours and Overtime in Burkina Faso

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Burkina Faso?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 40 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 08:00 to 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the statutory standard working time for most employees is 40 hours per week, usually spread over five 8-hour days. Daily working time is generally capped at 8 hours, unless a collective agreement or labor inspector authorization allows a different distribution. Employers must clearly define working schedules in employment contracts or internal regulations and communicate any changes in advance.

Collective agreements may organize hours over a reference period, but the average must not exceed 40 hours per week. When employers introduce variable or shift schedules, they must still respect daily rest, weekly rest, and overtime rules. Accurate timekeeping is essential to demonstrate compliance with these limits during inspections.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In these sectors, longer daily shifts such as 10–12 hours can be authorized, provided that equivalent compensatory rest and overtime premiums are granted. Employers must obtain any required approvals from the labor inspectorate and reflect these arrangements in written policies.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. Employers should monitor rosters so that the average does not exceed 40 hours per week and that overtime remains within the statutory caps. Failure to do so can lead to back pay claims and administrative sanctions.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff in Burkina Faso may be classified under a forfait or lump-sum arrangement in hours or days, giving more flexibility in scheduling. Even when classified as cadres, these employees must not be subjected to excessive working hours that endanger health and safety. Their contracts should clearly state the reference hours, any flat-rate overtime included, and the applicable overtime premiums above that threshold.

Employers cannot simply label employees as exempt to avoid overtime obligations. The actual duties, level of autonomy, and pay structure will be examined if a dispute arises. Where a forfait in hours is used, it must be equivalent to at least the statutory 40 hours per week and respect maximum overtime caps.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Burkina Faso

Statutory full-time work in Burkina Faso is generally defined as 40 hours per week for most private-sector employees. This is typically organized as five 8-hour days, but collective agreements may allow different daily distributions as long as the weekly total is respected. Any hours worked beyond this full-time threshold are treated as overtime and must be compensated at the applicable premium rates.

Part-time arrangements are permitted where contractual hours are below 40 per week, and conditions must be set out in writing. Employers may also use flexible or shift-based schedules, provided that average hours do not exceed full-time limits over the agreed reference period. Clear documentation helps avoid reclassification of part-time or flexible workers as full-time with retroactive overtime claims.

Overtime Regulations In Burkina Faso

Employers in Burkina Faso must closely monitor and record all hours worked beyond the statutory 40-hour workweek. Overtime must be authorized in advance, accurately tracked on timesheets or electronic systems, and reflected in payroll with the correct premium rates. Non-compliance exposes employers to back pay liabilities, penalties from the labor inspectorate, and potential litigation.

What Counts As Overtime In Burkina Faso?

In Burkina Faso, overtime is generally any time worked beyond 40 hours in a week for full-time employees. Work performed beyond the normal daily schedule, even if the weekly total remains at 40 hours, may also be treated as overtime if so defined by a collective agreement or company policy. Employers should clearly define normal working hours in contracts to determine when overtime begins.

Work performed on the weekly rest day, typically Sunday, or on public holidays is treated as overtime and attracts higher premiums. Such work usually requires employee consent except in cases of necessity or emergency. Employers must also ensure that compensatory rest is granted when rest-day work is performed.

Maximum Overtime In Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso law generally limits overtime to 20 hours per week, meaning total hours should not exceed 60 hours in any given week. Over a year, the typical cap applied in practice is 200 hours of overtime per employee, unless a collective agreement or labor inspector authorization allows an increase. Any extension beyond 200 hours per year usually requires prior approval and justification based on operational needs.

Employers should implement internal controls to ensure that individual employees do not exceed these numerical caps. Rostering systems should flag when an employee approaches 20 overtime hours in a week or 200 hours in a year. Persistently exceeding these limits can be treated as a serious breach of working-time regulations.

Overtime Payout Rates In Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, statutory overtime pay is typically calculated as a percentage increase over the employee’s normal hourly wage. For the first 8 hours of overtime in a week, employers must pay at least 115% of the normal hourly rate, equivalent to a 1.15x multiplier. Beyond 8 overtime hours in the same week, the premium generally increases to 150%, or 1.5x the normal hourly rate.

Overtime worked at night or on the weekly rest day, usually Sunday, is commonly paid at 200% of the normal hourly rate, or 2.0x, combining overtime and rest-day premiums. Work on public holidays is also typically compensated at 200% (2.0x) of the base hourly wage. Employers should verify any sectoral collective agreement, as some industries grant higher percentages, but they may not go below these statutory minimums.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, employees typically work 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect health and productivity within this framework. Employers must schedule meal breaks and daily and weekly rest so that these standard hours do not lead to excessive fatigue. Rest entitlements apply proportionally to both full-time and part-time staff based on their actual working time.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive at least a 30-minute unpaid or paid meal break, depending on the applicable collective agreement. Employers should schedule this break roughly in the middle of the work period to reduce fatigue and safety risks.
• Daily Rest: Workers are generally entitled to a minimum uninterrupted daily rest of 11 consecutive hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next. Employers must organize shifts so that this 11-hour rest is not eroded by overtime or on-call duties.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, in addition to the daily rest periods. If business needs require Sunday work, a substitute rest day of at least 24 hours must be granted during the same week.
• Minors: Workers under 18 benefit from stricter rest rules, including shorter daily limits and longer rest periods where necessary. Employers must avoid scheduling minors for night work or extended shifts that could harm their development.
• Employer Duty: Employers in Burkina Faso are responsible for planning schedules that respect all statutory rest periods and recording compliance. Failure to provide proper breaks and rest can lead to inspections, corrective orders, and financial penalties.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Burkina Faso

Night and weekend work are legal in Burkina Faso but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. Employers must ensure that such work is justified by operational needs, properly compensated, and does not undermine mandatory daily and weekly rest. Particular care is required for vulnerable categories of workers, such as minors and pregnant employees.

Night work in Burkina Faso is generally defined as work performed between 22:00 and 05:00, although some collective agreements may extend the window to 21:00–06:00. This definition applies across most roles, including manufacturing, security, healthcare, and services, unless a sector-specific rule provides otherwise. Employers should clearly indicate in contracts or internal rules when an employee is classified as a night worker.

• Premium Pay: Night work is typically compensated with a premium of at least 25% above the normal hourly wage, meaning a minimum of 125% or 1.25x the base rate for hours worked between 22:00 and 05:00. When night work coincides with overtime, employers should apply both the overtime premium and the night premium, which can bring total pay to 150%–200% of the base rate.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should be offered periodic medical examinations to monitor fatigue, sleep disorders, and other health impacts associated with night schedules. Employers are encouraged to adjust duties or reassign workers if medical advice indicates that continued night work would be harmful.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors are generally prohibited from night work, particularly between 22:00 and 05:00, except for narrowly defined apprenticeships with special safeguards. Pregnant workers should not be required to perform night shifts, and employers must reassign them to daytime work or adjust schedules without loss of pay where feasible.

Weekend work, especially on Sunday, is normally treated as work on the weekly rest day and should be exceptional. When employees work on Sunday, employers must provide a substitute rest day of at least 24 consecutive hours and pay a premium that commonly reaches 200% of the normal hourly rate, or 2.0x, in line with overtime and rest-day rules.