Working Hours and Overtime in Lesotho

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Lesotho?

An employee whose age is 15 or younger has a maximum of 4 hours per day and 24 hours per week. An employee whose age is 16 or older is allowed to work 45 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 08:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Lesotho

Under the Labour Code of Lesotho, the standard limit for adult employees is 9 hours per day and 45 hours per week in a five‑day workweek. Where employees work six days per week, the daily limit is typically adjusted so that the total still does not exceed 45 hours per week. Employers must structure rosters and shift patterns so that these limits are not exceeded on average over the agreed work cycle.

Any arrangement that requires employees to work beyond these limits must be clearly justified by operational needs and reflected in a written contract or collective agreement. You should also ensure that any compressed workweek or shift system still respects mandatory daily and weekly rest periods and does not result in disguised overtime. Accurate timekeeping systems are essential to demonstrate compliance during inspections or disputes.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In practice, these sectors often rely on shift work, split shifts, and rotating rosters to maintain 24‑hour or extended coverage while still respecting the 45‑hour weekly standard. You should document any sector‑specific arrangements in employment contracts and internal policies.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. Collective agreements or ministerial regulations may allow limited flexibility in daily hours provided that compensatory rest and overtime rules are observed. You remain responsible for assessing fatigue risks and ensuring that extended shifts do not compromise health and safety.

• 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. You should regularly review rosters to confirm that total hours, overtime, and rest periods remain within legal thresholds and that records are retained for inspection.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial and certain supervisory employees in Lesotho may be partially exempt from strict limits on daily scheduling, but they are still protected by overarching health and safety principles. Their contracts often provide for a global salary that is deemed to cover reasonable additional hours associated with their responsibilities. You should avoid assuming that all managers are automatically excluded from working‑time protections.

Where you classify an employee as managerial or exempt, the employment contract should clearly describe the role, expected working patterns, and how additional hours are compensated. If such employees regularly work far beyond the 45‑hour weekly benchmark, you should reassess workload, staffing levels, and potential entitlement to overtime or time off in lieu. Transparent documentation reduces the risk of later claims for unpaid hours.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Lesotho

In Lesotho, full‑time employment is generally understood as 45 hours per week for adult employees, usually spread over five or six days. Many employers adopt a schedule of 9 hours per day from Monday to Friday, excluding the unpaid meal break. Any arrangement that significantly departs from this pattern should be clearly agreed in writing.

Part‑time, casual, and shift‑based roles may involve fewer weekly hours but are still subject to proportional rest and overtime rules. When employees regularly work close to or above 45 hours per week, you should treat them as full‑time for the purposes of benefits and entitlements unless a different arrangement is clearly supported by law and contract. Consistency between contracts, payslips, and actual practice is critical for compliance.

Overtime Regulations In Lesotho

Overtime in Lesotho must be carefully controlled, recorded, and compensated in line with the Labour Code and any applicable collective agreements. You are required to keep accurate daily and weekly records of hours worked, including overtime, night work, and work on weekly rest days or public holidays. Failure to do so can expose your business to back‑pay claims, penalties, and reputational risk during labour inspections or disputes.

What Counts As Overtime In Lesotho?

For most adult employees, overtime is any time worked beyond 9 hours in a day or 45 hours in a week, whichever threshold is exceeded first. Work performed on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the 45‑hour weekly limit is not exceeded. You should obtain prior authorisation for overtime and clearly communicate when a shift moves from normal hours into overtime.

In shift‑based operations, overtime may also arise when employees are called in outside their scheduled roster or required to extend a shift beyond the agreed hours. Standby or on‑call arrangements can generate overtime if the employee is actually required to work and the total hours exceed the statutory limits. Clear internal rules on call‑outs and minimum paid periods help avoid disputes about whether overtime has been triggered.

Maximum Overtime In Lesotho

Under common practice based on the Labour Code framework, overtime for adult employees is generally capped at 11 hours per week, meaning total hours should not exceed 56 hours in any week. On a daily basis, this typically translates into a maximum of 3 hours of overtime beyond the 9‑hour normal day, so total daily hours should not exceed 12 hours. You should design rosters so that these caps are respected and not treated as a regular baseline.

Where exceptional operational needs arise, limited extensions may be possible with prior approval from the Labour Commissioner or under a registered collective agreement, but these must remain temporary and justified. You should never rely on continuous weeks of 56 hours as a standard practice, and you must still comply with daily and weekly rest requirements. If your operations regularly require more than 11 hours of overtime per week per employee, you should consider hiring additional staff or restructuring shifts.

Overtime Payout Rates In Lesotho

In Lesotho, the statutory minimum overtime rate for hours worked beyond the normal daily or weekly limits is 1.5x the employee’s ordinary hourly wage, equivalent to a 150% rate. Work performed on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday must be paid at a minimum of 2.0x the ordinary hourly wage, equivalent to 200%. These numerical rates apply unless a collective agreement or contract grants more favourable terms.

Some employers choose to offer higher premiums, such as 1.75x for weekday overtime or 2.5x for public holidays, to attract and retain staff in demanding roles. Whatever rates you apply, you must calculate overtime based on the employee’s full ordinary remuneration, including regular allowances that form part of normal pay. You should clearly show overtime hours and the applicable multipliers on payslips to ensure transparency and reduce the risk of disputes.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Lesotho

In Lesotho, employees commonly work up to 9 hours per day and 45 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect health and safety within this framework. The Labour Code requires that employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours receive a meal break and that they benefit from daily and weekly rest. You must integrate these breaks into your scheduling so that total working time and rest periods remain compliant.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours must receive at least a 60‑minute uninterrupted meal break, which is generally unpaid unless the contract or collective agreement states otherwise.
• Daily Rest: Employees are entitled to a minimum continuous daily rest period of 12 hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next, and you should avoid scheduling split shifts that undermine this rest.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, and any work during this period should be exceptional and compensated at overtime or premium rates.
• Minors: Young workers under 18 are subject to stricter limits on daily and weekly hours and must receive more frequent breaks, with night work and hazardous tasks generally prohibited.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for planning rosters that respect statutory rest periods, recording breaks where required, and ensuring that operational demands do not pressure employees to skip or shorten their breaks.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Lesotho

Night and weekend work are legal in Lesotho but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must ensure that such work does not compromise health and safety and that employees receive appropriate compensation and rest. Clear policies and accurate records are essential when you operate outside standard daytime hours.

Night work in Lesotho is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, although specific definitions may be refined by sectoral agreements. This time window applies across most roles where employees are scheduled to work during the night, including security, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. You should explicitly define night‑shift hours in contracts and internal policies.

• Premium Pay: While the Labour Code does not prescribe a specific statutory night work premium, common practice is to pay at least 1.25x (125%) of the ordinary hourly wage for hours worked between 22:00 and 06:00, and you should not pay less than the 1.5x overtime rate if night hours also qualify as overtime.
• Health Monitoring: For employees who regularly perform night work, you should offer periodic health assessments and monitor fatigue, adjusting schedules or reassigning duties if night work adversely affects their health.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 and pregnant workers should generally not be assigned to night shifts, and any exception must be carefully assessed against medical advice and legal restrictions.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday, is treated as work on a weekly rest day and should be limited to genuine operational needs. When employees work on Sunday or their designated weekly rest day, you should provide either a substitute 24‑hour rest period in the same week or pay at least 2.0x (200%) of the ordinary hourly wage, in line with public holiday and rest‑day overtime practices.