Working Hours and Overtime in Cameroon

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Cameroon?

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 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Cameroon

In Cameroon, the general statutory limit for most private sector employees is 40 hours per week, usually spread over five or six days. Daily working time is commonly organized into shifts of 8 hours, and any schedule that would exceed this weekly limit must be carefully justified and compensated. Employers must clearly define working hours in employment contracts or internal regulations and communicate any changes in advance.

Collective agreements or sectoral decrees may authorize different distributions of hours, such as compressed weeks or rotating shifts, provided that the average does not exceed 40 hours over the agreed reference period. You must also ensure that employees receive the minimum daily and weekly rest periods when designing rosters. Accurate timekeeping systems are essential to demonstrate compliance in the event of an inspection or dispute.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. These rules can allow longer daily shifts or irregular hours, as long as the average weekly working time and mandatory rest periods are respected. You should always verify whether a specific ministerial order or collective agreement applies to your industry before finalizing schedules.

• 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. When longer shifts are used, you should monitor fatigue risks and adjust staffing levels accordingly. Written policies and documented risk assessments help demonstrate that you have taken reasonable steps to protect employees.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff and certain categories of autonomous employees in Cameroon may be treated as exempt from strict hourly tracking, provided their responsibilities and pay level justify this status. Even when classified as managerial, these employees should not be subjected to excessive working hours that could endanger their health or safety. Their contracts must clearly describe expected working time, availability requirements, and any flat-rate arrangements for overtime.

Where a lump-sum or inclusive salary is used to cover additional hours, you should verify that the total compensation remains at least equivalent to what the employee would receive if overtime were paid at statutory premium rates. It is advisable to keep some form of record of actual hours worked by managers to manage workload and mitigate the risk of later claims. Transparent communication about expectations helps avoid disputes over working time.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Cameroon

In Cameroon, full-time work is generally defined as 40 hours per week for most private sector employees. This standard may be adjusted slightly by collective agreements, but any variation must still comply with overarching labor law protections. Part-time arrangements are permitted as long as the reduced hours and corresponding pay are clearly documented in the employment contract.

Employers may adopt flexible schedules, such as staggered hours or shift systems, provided that the total weekly hours for full-time staff do not exceed 40 hours on average. When implementing flexible or part-time work, you should ensure that employees receive pro-rated benefits and are not indirectly pressured to work unpaid additional hours. Clear internal rules on scheduling and overtime approval are essential to maintain compliance.

Overtime Regulations In Cameroon

Overtime in Cameroon must be carefully controlled, recorded, and compensated according to statutory rules and any applicable collective agreements. You are required to maintain accurate records of hours worked, including overtime, rest days, and public holidays, and to retain these records for inspection. Failure to comply with overtime rules can lead to back-pay orders, administrative fines, and potential criminal liability in serious cases.

Before authorizing overtime, you should verify that the requested hours will not exceed legal caps and that the employee has received adequate rest. Written overtime requests and approvals help demonstrate that additional hours were necessary and properly managed. Transparent communication about overtime expectations and pay rates reduces the risk of disputes.

What Counts As Overtime In Cameroon?

In Cameroon, overtime generally refers to any hours worked beyond the statutory 40-hour workweek for full-time employees. Work performed beyond the normal daily schedule, when it causes the weekly total to exceed 40 hours, must be treated and paid as overtime. Hours worked on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday are also considered overtime and attract higher premium rates.

Overtime must normally be requested or approved by the employer in advance, except in genuine emergencies where immediate action is required. You should clearly define standard working hours in contracts so that any additional hours can be easily identified as overtime. Internal policies should specify who can authorize overtime and how it will be compensated.

Maximum Overtime In Cameroon

Cameroon’s labor rules limit overtime to protect employee health and safety. As a general benchmark, overtime should not exceed 20 hours per week, ensuring that total weekly working time remains below 60 hours in exceptional periods. Over a longer reference period, many employers cap overtime at around 120 hours per year per employee to remain within commonly accepted practice and to avoid excessive workloads.

Where business needs require higher overtime, you should seek prior authorization from the competent labor authority and consult with employee representatives where they exist. Any approved extension should still respect minimum daily and weekly rest periods and should be documented in writing. If no authorization is obtained, you should treat the standard caps as strict limits and reorganize staffing to cover demand.

Overtime Payout Rates In Cameroon

In Cameroon, overtime hours worked on a normal working day are typically paid at a minimum premium of 120% of the employee’s basic hourly rate, equivalent to 1.2x pay. When overtime is performed at night on a normal working day, the combined premium commonly reaches 130% to 150% of the basic hourly rate, depending on the applicable collective agreement. You should never pay less than the employee’s normal hourly rate for any overtime hour.

Work performed on the weekly rest day or on a public holiday is usually compensated at a higher premium, often 150% to 200% of the basic hourly rate, equivalent to 1.5x to 2x pay. If you grant a compensatory rest day in lieu of work on a rest day or holiday, you must still ensure that the total compensation, including time off and pay, is at least equal to what the employee would have received at the applicable premium rate. All overtime and premium rates should be clearly stated in employment contracts or internal regulations to avoid ambiguity.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Cameroon

In Cameroon, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to ensure that this working time does not compromise health and safety. Meal breaks must interrupt continuous work during the day, and daily and weekly rest periods must be respected regardless of how hours are distributed. When you design schedules, you must align breaks and rest with the actual daily and weekly hours worked by each employee.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours in Cameroon must receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, which should not be scheduled at the very start or end of the shift. You should ensure that this break is clearly indicated on work schedules and not routinely shortened due to workload.
• Daily Rest: Employees are generally entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest between the end of one workday and the start of the next. When shift changes or overtime reduce this interval, you should provide compensatory rest as soon as possible.
• Weekly Rest: Workers in Cameroon must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, in addition to their daily rest. If business needs require Sunday work, you must grant a substitute rest day during the same week.
• Minors: Young workers under 18 are subject to stricter limits on daily hours and must receive longer rest periods between shifts. You should avoid scheduling minors for night work or split shifts that would reduce their rest below the standard minimums.
• Employer Duty: Employers are responsible for organizing work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, not just written into policies. Labor inspectors in Cameroon may review schedules and time records to verify that rest rules are respected in practice.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Cameroon

Night and weekend work are legal in Cameroon but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay attention to working-time limits, health and safety risks, and any applicable premium pay rules when scheduling these shifts. Clear policies and documented consent are especially important for regular night or weekend workers.

Night work in Cameroon is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, although some collective agreements may define a slightly different window. This definition applies across most roles, including manufacturing, security, healthcare, and services, unless a specific sectoral rule states otherwise. You should specify in contracts or internal regulations when a shift is considered night work for pay and protection purposes.

• Premium Pay: In Cameroon, night work is commonly compensated with a premium of at least 20% to 30% above the basic hourly rate, equivalent to 1.2x to 1.3x pay, depending on the sector and collective agreement. You should never pay less than the employee’s normal hourly rate for night hours and should clearly state the exact percentage used in your company policies.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should receive periodic health assessments to identify fatigue, sleep disorders, or other health issues linked to night schedules. You should adjust duties or transfer employees away from night work if medical advice indicates that continued night work would be harmful.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work in Cameroon, except for narrowly defined exceptions in certain sectors. Pregnant workers and new mothers should be exempted from night shifts upon medical recommendation, and you should offer alternative day work where possible.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday, is treated as work on the usual weekly rest day and is therefore subject to stricter conditions. When employees work on Sunday, you must grant a substitute rest day and typically pay a premium of around 150% of the basic hourly rate, equivalent to 1.5x pay, or follow any higher rate set by a collective agreement. You should document Sunday work and compensatory rest to demonstrate compliance during inspections.