Over time, Overtime May Be Better Than Undertime

One best practice I saw employed at a retail business was to give employees voluntary overtime on a regular basis rather than hire an additional full-time employee.  It enabled the store to keep two or three employees happy.  These employees didn't want to have to go out and get a second job, so by offering them regular overtime each week, they were able to fill an entire line of shifts with these people rather than spending the money on the benefits and training of a new employee during peak periods.

Many businesses I see seem hesistant to run overtime, but in the end, in some places, it may make more sense to operate like I mention above rather than hire somebody who you may not need in non-peak periods.

Likewise, you don't want to run into an "undertime" situation where you run your staff so thin that you work your managers excessively and have them doing upwards of 60 hours a week on salary while also performing hourly duties.

Undertime to me is any time over the expected management commitment that involves managers working more than a 40-45 hour workweek and/or take on responsibilities that should go to the staff.

Coming from someone who has worked some undertime in my time, I find that the leaders who end up working overtime end up exascerbating the problem of understaffing.  They take on roles that are more suited to their subordinates, and take away from the bigger picture issues that leaders must address.