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Comment by indlebe | Hacker News Reader

>I would think it entirely obvious that if you work overtime you either get paid or take compensatory time off?

Obvious to whom? I haven't had an employer that finds this point obvious in more than 7 years.

I've only encounted unpaid overtime in chaotic sweatshops, which are similar to the companies I mentioned, of constant fires / crisis'. These are so uncommon though, and the practice by all means illegal, that I'd think it obvious that over-time is compensated one way or the other. Are you in the US? My experience is from a variety of European countries mainly, which might differ vastly from american standards.

In the US, salaried employees aren't legally required to get paid overtime, only hourly employees. The whole point of being salaried is that you're being paid for a year of work, rather than by the hour, so your pay doesn't depend on hours worked.

Typically, full time developers are salaried.

I'm in Canada and it's the same. My salary agreement says I get paid X for Y hours per week and is very vague about how overtime is treated. There is a mention that there may be "expected overtime" required on an occasional basis. I have never received compensation or time-off-in-leiu for overtime worked and during term (i work for a university) it's expected that I work 45-50 as opposed to the 35 that was agreed upon. 35 hours per week is summer only, and then I'd be lucky.

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