Working Hours and Overtime in Guyana

In Guyana, your company must comply with working hour and overtime laws – including daily limits, overtime thresholds, and rest requirements – to stay compliant and build a strong employee experience.

As you plan staffing and scheduling through 2026, you should expect closer scrutiny of working time records, overtime practices, and rest arrangements, particularly in high-risk sectors such as mining, construction, transport, and hospitality. Regulators and courts are likely to focus on whether employers can demonstrate that hours are accurately tracked, overtime is properly authorised and paid at the correct premium rates, and employees receive the daily and weekly rest needed to protect their health and safety. Building robust internal policies now – and training managers on their obligations – will help you adapt to any future updates to Guyanese labour standards or regional best practices.

• Standard Working Hours
• Overtime Thresholds
• Overtime Pay Rates
• Daily And Weekly Rest Requirements
• Night Work Restrictions
• Penalties For Non-Compliance

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Guyana?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 17 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 5 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Guyana

In Guyana, the generally accepted statutory ceiling for adult employees is 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, excluding overtime. Many collective agreements and individual contracts set a lower weekly norm of 40–44 hours, but you should treat 48 hours as the upper legal limit for standard time unless a specific sectoral rule provides otherwise. You should clearly define normal daily and weekly hours in the employment contract, including start and end times, and any flexitime or shift arrangements.

For young workers under 18, you should apply stricter limits – typically no more than 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week – and avoid night work or hazardous work. You must also ensure that working hours comply with mandatory rest periods and weekly rest days so that total time on duty, including overtime, does not undermine employee health and safety.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Manufacturing And Mining Operations
• Healthcare, Hospitals, And Residential Care Facilities
• Hospitality, Hotels, And Restaurants
• Security, Guarding, And Emergency Services
• Agriculture, Forestry, And Seasonal Crop Activities
• Transport, Shipping, And Port Operations

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial and executive employees in Guyana are often treated as exempt from some of the detailed working time and overtime provisions, particularly where they have genuine authority over hiring, firing, budgeting, and operational decisions. Their remuneration is usually structured on a global salary that is deemed to compensate for longer or irregular hours. However, you should not assume that all supervisors or team leaders are exempt – exemption should be based on the actual nature of the role, not just the job title.

Even where employees are treated as exempt, you remain responsible for protecting their health and safety. You should monitor workloads, avoid excessive hours, and ensure that managers still receive adequate daily and weekly rest. Clearly document in the employment contract whether the role is eligible for overtime, how working hours will be scheduled, and what compensatory rest or additional benefits are provided for extended availability.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Guyana

For most sectors in Guyana, full-time employment is based on a schedule of 40–48 hours per week, usually spread over 5 or 6 days. A common pattern is 8 hours per day, Monday to Friday, with either a half-day on Saturday or no Saturday work depending on the industry. Where your business adopts a 40- or 44-hour week by policy or collective agreement, this becomes the contractual standard for full-time employees.

You should define in writing what constitutes full-time work in your organisation, including the normal weekly hours, the number of working days, and any shift or rota system. This definition will influence eligibility for benefits, overtime thresholds, and pro rata calculations for part-time staff. Ensure that any compressed workweek or shift system still respects the maximum daily and weekly limits and provides the required rest periods.

Overtime Regulations In Guyana

What Counts As Overtime In Guyana?

In Guyana, overtime generally refers to any hours worked in excess of the employee’s normal daily or weekly hours as set out in the employment contract, collective agreement, or applicable legislation. For most full-time employees, this means work beyond 8 hours in a day or beyond 40–48 hours in a week, depending on the contractual standard you have adopted. Work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays is also typically treated as overtime or premium time, even if the weekly total does not exceed 48 hours.

Overtime must be expressly requested or approved by you as the employer. You should implement a clear policy that requires prior authorisation for overtime, sets out how it is recorded, and explains how payment or time off in lieu will be handled. Keeping accurate time records – including start and finish times, breaks, and overtime – is essential to demonstrate compliance in the event of an inspection or dispute.

Maximum Overtime In Guyana

While Guyanese law allows employers to use overtime to meet operational needs, it is not intended to be a permanent substitute for adequate staffing. As a good practice benchmark, you should avoid scheduling more than 2–4 hours of overtime per day and more than 12–16 hours of overtime per week for any individual employee, and you should ensure that total hours – regular plus overtime – do not routinely exceed 56–60 hours per week.

For young workers and employees in hazardous or physically demanding roles, you should apply even stricter limits and avoid overtime altogether where possible. Excessive overtime can be treated as a breach of health and safety obligations, particularly if it interferes with required daily and weekly rest. You should regularly review overtime reports to identify patterns of overuse and address underlying staffing or planning issues.

Overtime Payout Rates In Guyana

Overtime in Guyana is typically compensated at premium rates above the employee’s normal hourly wage. A common structure – often reflected in collective agreements and company policies – is at least 150% (time and a half) of the regular rate for overtime worked on ordinary working days, and 200% (double time) for work performed on weekly rest days and public holidays. Some sectors or unionised workplaces may provide higher multipliers or additional allowances for night work or emergency call-outs.

You should clearly state overtime rates in the employment contract or in a written overtime policy, including how the basic hourly rate is calculated for salaried staff. Where you offer time off in lieu instead of cash payment, ensure that this is permitted by law or collective agreement, that it is agreed with the employee, and that the time off is granted at an equivalent premium (for example, 1.5 hours of leave for each overtime hour worked at a 150% rate). All overtime payments should be itemised separately on payslips to maintain transparency and compliance.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Guyana

In Guyana, employees commonly work around 8 hours per day and 40–48 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to ensure that these working hours do not compromise health and safety. You must schedule meal and rest breaks within the working day, provide adequate daily rest between shifts, and guarantee at least one full day of weekly rest so that total working time – including overtime – remains within safe limits.

• Meal Break Requirements
• Daily Rest
• Weekly Rest
• Minors
• Employer Duties