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Time off in lieu of overtime

Time off in lieu of overtime is a feature of all employment contracts, but is of particular importance when dealing with professional experience employment. It is recognised that there will be times when all members of the office team may be required to work overtime to meet a project deadline. In the case of student and graduate professional experience employees, who are already juggling the demands of combining work and study, the RIBA recommends that time off is awarded in lieu of the overtime worked, rather than overtime pay being awarded. Neither students nor other employees should expect to put in unpaid overtime, except for short periods in very exceptional and occasional circumstances.

The background to this guidance are the changed legislative framework that now governs ‘working hours’, and changing social, professional and industry expectations in relation to work-life balance and family friendly working. For architects, where a long hours culture, often linked to regular and extensive unpaid overtime, has long been a feature of professional life, this poses a challenge and the RIBA is developing guidance to help architects to operate within the new frameworks.

Professional experience employment provides an induction into professional working life for architectural students, and the working practices of their employing offices will be influential in the formation of their professional attitudes. Employers are therefore asked to observe these requirements seriously in relation to any overtime worked by their student employees.