Does overtime apply if there is a written policy that all overtime must be approved in advance?
Legally, no it does not apply. If there is a stated written policy that states overtime must be approved in advance, then the company can consider any overtime worked as “donated time” and are not required to pay you for it. In my experience, however, what most companies will do is simply write someone up for not following company policy, pay the overtime and if the pattern continues, then the employee will be terminated for repeatedly failing to follow company policy.
