Working Hours and Overtime in Zambia

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Zambia?

An employee whose age is 18 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 19 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 08:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Zambia

Under the Employment Code Act, the standard limit for adult employees is 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, excluding unpaid meal breaks. You should structure work schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits without a clear operational justification and proper overtime arrangements. Any compressed or flexible schedule must still respect the weekly cap when averaged over the agreed reference period.

Collective agreements or written contracts may provide for different daily distributions of hours, such as longer shifts on some days and shorter on others, provided the average does not exceed 48 hours per week. You remain responsible for keeping accurate time records that show start and end times, breaks, and overtime for each employee. Failure to document hours properly makes it difficult to defend against claims of unpaid overtime or excessive working hours.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules that allow for longer shifts but require compensatory rest. In hospitals and clinics, 12-hour shifts are common, but you must ensure that weekly averages and rest periods comply with the Employment Code and any sectoral collective agreements. Written rosters should clearly show shift rotations and rest days for audit and inspection purposes.

• 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 also conduct regular fatigue and safety assessments where long or irregular shifts are used, especially for safety-critical roles. Any derogations from standard limits should be documented and, where required, agreed with worker representatives.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial employees in Zambia may have more flexible working-time arrangements, and some may not be entitled to overtime pay if they genuinely determine their own working hours. However, their contracts should clearly state that the salary covers work beyond the normal 48-hour week and describe expected availability. You should avoid open-ended clauses that could be interpreted as allowing unlimited hours without additional compensation.

Even where overtime premiums do not apply, you still owe a duty of care to prevent excessive working hours that could endanger health and safety. Track the hours of managers and professionals sufficiently to identify patterns of overwork and intervene where necessary. Clear workload planning and delegation are essential to keep total hours within reasonable bounds.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Zambia

In practice, full-time employment in Zambia is generally based on 48 hours per week for adult employees, usually spread over 5 or 6 days. Many employers adopt a 40- to 45-hour week as a matter of policy or collective agreement to remain competitive and support work–life balance. Your contracts should specify the normal weekly hours and the distribution of those hours across the working days.

Part-time employees work fewer than the standard full-time hours but are entitled to pro-rated benefits and protections under the Employment Code. Any change from full-time to part-time or vice versa should be documented in writing and agreed with the employee. You should also clarify how overtime is calculated for part-time staff when they exceed their contracted hours but remain below the full-time threshold.

Overtime Regulations In Zambia

As an employer in Zambia, you must monitor and control overtime to ensure that employees do not exceed statutory limits and that all extra hours are properly authorized. You are required to keep accurate records of hours worked, including overtime, for each employee and retain these records for inspection by labour officers. Non-compliance with overtime rules can lead to orders to pay arrears, penalties, and potential prosecution under the Employment Code Act.

What Counts As Overtime In Zambia?

Overtime for adult employees in Zambia generally means any hours worked in excess of 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week, whichever threshold is used in the contract or collective agreement. Work performed on a designated weekly rest day or public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the weekly total does not exceed 48 hours. You should define in writing which days are normal working days and which are rest days to avoid disputes.

Overtime must normally be requested or approved by the employer in advance, except in genuine emergencies where immediate action is required to protect life, property, or continuous operations. You should implement a clear authorization process so that supervisors cannot require systematic overtime without higher-level approval. Employees should not be penalized for refusing overtime that would breach legal limits or agreed caps.

Maximum Overtime In Zambia

Under common interpretation of Zambian labour standards, overtime for adult employees should not exceed 12 hours per week, meaning total hours should generally not surpass 60 hours in any week. In many collective agreements, overtime is further limited to an average of 2 hours per day, and you should avoid scheduling more than 4 hours of overtime on any single day except in emergencies. These limits are designed to protect employee health and reduce fatigue-related risks.

Where business needs require higher overtime, you should seek written agreement with employees and, where applicable, consult with unions or worker representatives, while still keeping weekly totals as close as possible to the 60-hour ceiling. For ongoing high-demand periods, consider temporary staffing or shift restructuring instead of relying on continuous overtime. If your operations regularly approach these caps, document your risk assessments and mitigation measures in case of inspection.

Overtime Payout Rates In Zambia

In Zambia, the typical statutory minimum overtime rate for hours worked beyond the normal daily or weekly limit is 1.5x the employee’s basic hourly rate, equivalent to a 150% payment. Work performed on a weekly rest day or Saturday is commonly paid at 1.5x as well, unless a more favourable rate is set by a collective agreement or company policy. You should state these multipliers clearly in employment contracts and payroll policies.

For work performed on public holidays, the standard practice is to pay at least 2.0x the basic hourly rate, equivalent to 200%, or to provide a normal day’s pay plus a paid day off in lieu. If employees both work overtime hours and do so on a public holiday, you should apply the higher applicable rate, ensuring they receive no less than 2.0x for those hours. Always calculate overtime based on the employee’s normal basic wage, excluding discretionary allowances unless your policies or agreements state otherwise.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Zambia

In Zambia, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week (reduced to 45 hours per week in some sectoral orders like shop workers), and rest periods are structured around these standard limits to protect health and safety. The Employment Code requires that workers receive meal breaks and daily and weekly rest so that total working time does not become excessive. As an employer, you must integrate these breaks into rosters and timekeeping systems so they are actually taken, not just recorded on paper.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours must receive at least a 60-minute uninterrupted meal break, which is usually unpaid unless your policy states otherwise. You should schedule this break roughly in the middle of the work period and ensure that employees are free from duties during this time.
• Daily Rest: Workers are entitled to a minimum continuous rest period of about 12 hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next. When you use shift work or split shifts, you must still preserve this 12-hour gap except in genuine emergencies.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, commonly on Sunday or another agreed day. If operational needs require Sunday work, you should provide a substitute full rest day within the same week.
• Minors: Young workers under 18 are subject to stricter limits on daily and weekly hours and must receive more frequent and longer rest breaks. You should avoid scheduling minors for night work or extended shifts that could interfere with schooling or health.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for designing work schedules that comply with statutory rest requirements and for preventing employees from voluntarily waiving breaks. Labour inspectors may review rosters and time records, so your documentation should clearly show when breaks and rest days are taken.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Zambia

Night and weekend work are legal in Zambia but they come with additional responsibilities for employers to safeguard employee health and ensure fair compensation. You must pay particular attention to working-time limits, rest periods, and any applicable premium rates when scheduling staff outside normal daytime hours. Written policies and clear communication are essential to avoid disputes and demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Night work in Zambia is commonly understood as work performed between 18:00 and 06:00, although specific collective agreements may define a slightly different window. This definition applies across most roles, including manufacturing, security, healthcare, and hospitality, whenever the majority of hours fall within this night period. You should identify in contracts or rosters which positions are designated as night work so that related protections and benefits are consistently applied.

• Premium Pay: There is no explicit statutory night work premium in Zambia, so the law does not mandate a fixed percentage such as 25% or 1.25x for night hours. In practice, many employers voluntarily pay a night allowance or a premium of around 1.25x to 1.5x the basic hourly rate for regular night shifts, and you should document any such premium clearly in contracts or policies.
• Health Monitoring: While the Employment Code does not prescribe a specific medical examination schedule for night workers, you are expected to manage health and safety risks associated with night shifts. Good practice is to offer periodic health assessments and fatigue management training to employees who regularly work between 18:00 and 06:00.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 should not normally be employed in night work, especially in hazardous sectors such as mining, construction, or heavy manufacturing. Pregnant workers and new mothers should be exempted from night shifts on request and offered alternative day work or adjusted duties where reasonably practicable.

Weekend work, particularly on Sundays, is permitted in Zambia but must respect the requirement for at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, either on Sunday or another agreed day. Many employers pay a weekend premium of about 1.5x the basic hourly rate for Sunday work or provide a paid day off in lieu, and you should specify your approach in contracts and collective agreements. When weekend work coincides with public holidays, you should apply at least the higher public holiday rate, typically 2.0x, to those hours.