Spotting unpaid overtime: a checklist for early-career case managers and care workers

Spotting unpaid overtime: a checklist for early-career case managers and care workers in London

Hook: If you69re an early-career case manager or care worker in London, you69re likely juggling back-to-back visits, admin after shifts, and email catch-up at home 6mdash; hours that too often go unpaid. A high01profile 2025 Wisconsin enforcement shows how unrecorded time can turn into large backpay awards. This guide translates those lessons into practical, Londonspecific steps to spot unpaid overtime, track work hours, and gather evidence for pay disputes.

Quick summary 6mdash; what you need now

• Start a timesheet today: a simple, consistent record beats memory 6mdash; and it69s primary evidence in a dispute.
• Recognise offtheclock work: unpaid travel between visits, postshift admin, mandatory training taken at home, and unrecorded pauses are common red flags.
• Know your routes: internal grievance 6mdash; ACAS early conciliation 6mdash; Employment Tribunal or HMRC for National Minimum/Living Wage issues.
• Preserve evidence immediately: employment time limits are short; preserve evidence immediately.

Why the Wisconsin case matters to UK care staff (and what changed in 2026)

In December 2025 a US federal consent judgment required a multicounty medical partnership in Wisconsin to pay about $162,000 to 68 case managers after investigators found staff were regularly working unrecorded hours. The core finding: offtheclock duties 6mdash; even short, routine tasks 6mdash; add up to legally compensable time.

That ruling reverberated across sectors in early 2026. UK employers and regulators have been paying closer attention to recordkeeping and the boundary between paid and unpaid work. While UK law differs (there is no direct UK equivalent of the US Fair Labor Standards Act), the practical lesson is identical: if work happens, it should be recorded and, where payable, compensated.

How this affects care workers and case managers in London

In London69s care sector, typical unpaid activities include:

• Travel time between home visits that isn69t counted as paid work;
• Postvisit case notes completed at home on your own time;
• Mandatory elearning completed outside contracted hours;
• Brief managerial checkins logged informally (phone calls, WhatsApp) but not paid;
• Delays waiting for client handovers or transport that aren69t recorded.

For earlycareer staff, these activities often feel like part of the job 6mdash; but they can represent a significant chunk of unpaid hours and lost earnings. In London where boroughlevel demand, travel times and pay vary, the cumulative impact is even greater.

2026 labour market context 6mdash; what69s changed in London

Key trends that affect pay and disputes in 2026:

• Postpandemic workload consolidation: roles now combine field visits, remote casework and digital admin, increasing unrecorded tasks.
• Greater scrutiny on employers69 recordkeeping: regulator attention and media coverage since late 2025 mean disputes are taken more seriously.
• Wage pressure in London: rising living costs led many employers to raise base pay in inner London; outer boroughs lag behind.
• Hybrid rostering and gig models: more flexible contracts (zerohours, casual bank shifts) complicate the line between paid and unpaid time.

Typical London pay ranges (2026 market snapshot)

Use these as general benchmarks 6mdash; actual pay varies by employer, borough and experience:

• Care worker (early career): typical hourly offers in 2026 ranged from around
  6C12 6C15 in outer boroughs to
  6C13 6C17 in inner London when employers include London weighting.
• Case manager (early career): annual salaries often start between
  6C24k 6C32k in boroughs outside central London, with central London roles often advertising
  6C28k 6C36k for comparable experience.

Because travel and admin time are substantial in casework, unrecorded hours can materially change hourly effective pay. If you69re deciding between two roles, include estimated unpaid time when comparing offers.

Stepbystep checklist: Spotting unpaid overtime (immediate actions)

1. Start an immediate time log: note start/end times, travel, unpaid admin, and interruptions. Do it daily. Use paper or a simple spreadsheet 6mdash; consistency matters more than format.
2. Identify recurring unpaid tasks: highlight items that happen every shift (e.g., 20 minutes of postvisit notes).
3. Quantify weekly totals: add up extra minutes per shift to estimate weekly unpaid hours and potential pay loss.
4. Retain supporting evidence: store emails, rota screenshots, travel receipts, visit confirmations, and timestamped app logs 6mdash; and if you fear digital loss, see an incident response template for document compromise to help preserve files.
5. Check your contract and rotas: look for clauses about expected duties outside paid hours, oncall requirements, and how travel time is treated.
6. Seek informal clarification: ask your manager how specific tasks should be recorded and paid 6mdash; and follow up in writing.

Detailed evidence checklist 6mdash; what to record and how

Evidence is the backbone of any wage complaint. The goal is to show when you were working, what tasks you did, and why the time should be paid.

Daily timesheet fields (minimum)

• Date
• Shift start and finish times
• Travel time between duties (with mileage or public transport receipts where possible)
• Time spent on admin, notes, training, or meetings outside rostered hours
• Unpaid breaks and delays (e.g., waiting for a handover)
• Location and borough for each visit (useful in London where travel times vary)

Supporting documents

• Screenshots of rotas, shift allocations and any shift swaps
• Timestamped emails or messages confirming tasks or approvals
• Training records or elearning completion logs
• Client visit confirmations (paper or digital)
• Transport receipts (Oyster, contactless summaries, or mileage logs) 6mdash; keep receipts and travel summaries such as weekly card statements; if you need to pack for lots of travel days, a compact travel kit can help when you69re on the move.

Digital habits that help

• Use a trusted cloud folder (private Google Drive/OneDrive) for backups 6mdash; if cloud security and travel are concerns, see practical guidance on cloud teams and secure travel in our field guide: Field Guide: Practical Bitcoin Security for Cloud Teams on the Move.
• Take photos of handwritten notes with clear timestamps 6mdash; portable capture tools make clean timestamped images easier; see a field review of capture hardware such as the NovaStream Clip.
• When you text or message a manager about hours, keep the conversation professional 6mdash; this creates a written audit trail.

How to calculate unpaid overtime

Start small and be realistic. Example method for a weekly estimate:

1. Add total unpaid minutes per shift (e.g., 20 minutes admin + 15 minutes travel delay = 35 minutes).
2. Multiply by number of shifts per week (e.g., 35 minutes  7 5 shifts = 175 minutes = 2 hours 55 minutes).
3. Convert to hours and multiply by your hourly rate to estimate weekly unpaid pay.

For case managers whose roles involve salaried work, estimate an effective hourly rate by dividing annual salary by expected annual hours (contracted hours x 52 or actual if you work extra weeks). This helps quantify unpaid overtime when contracts are ambiguous.

What to do if you suspect unpaid hours 6mdash; a clear escalation path

1. Talk to your line manager: present your time log and ask for clarification. Keep the conversation factual and follow up by email summarising what was agreed.
2. Raise a formal grievance if unresolved: follow your employer69s grievance procedure and attach your evidence. For employer-facing obligations and to understand how multicounty partnerships run into wage issues, see this employer checklist.
3. Seek early advice: consult your union (if a member) or an employment adviser. Many London boroughs provide advice services for care staff.
4. Use ACAS early conciliation: in most employment disputes you69ll need to attempt early conciliation before an Employment Tribunal claim.
5. Consider HMRC for National Minimum/Living Wage breaches: unpaid wages that fall below the legal minimum can be reported to HMRC, which enforces pay rules and can pursue employers.

Sample message templates

Use clear, professional language. Copy and adapt these to your situation.

To your manager (informal first step)

Hello [Manager name],
I wanted to check how we should record time for activities outside my rostered shift (e.g., postvisit notes and travel between visits). I69ve been tracking these on a daily timesheet and can share totals 6mdash; could we meet briefly to confirm how these should be recorded and paid? Thanks, [Your name]

Formal grievance opening (if unresolved)

Dear [HR/Manager],
I am raising a formal grievance about unpaid working time. I have attached a time log covering [dates] showing regular unpaid tasks (postvisit admin, travel, etc.). I request an investigation and a meeting to resolve this matter. Please confirm receipt.
Kind regards, [Your name]

Practical case study 6mdash; an earlycareer case manager in Southwark

Meet Asha, a hypothetical earlycareer case manager based in Southwark (inner London). Her contract states 37.5 paid hours per week. Asha routinely spends 25 minutes after each client visit writing notes at home and 15 minutes travelling between clients that her employer counts as unpaid. She works five client days a week.

Using the calculation method above, Asha logs 40 extra minutes per day  7 5 = 200 minutes per week (~3 hours 20 minutes). At a nominal effective hourly rate of
6C14, that69s ~
6C46.70 extra per week 6mdash; roughly
6C2,400 a year. That69s meaningful in London69s living cost environment and worth raising formally.

Asha followed the checklist: she saved travel receipts, timestamped emails confirming shifts, and started a dated spreadsheet. She spoke to her manager and then raised a formal grievance when the problem persisted. With ACAS early conciliation recommended by her adviser, she pursued a negotiated settlement that included a backpay adjustment and revised recording procedures for her team.

Common employer responses and how to prepare

• 2These are voluntary tasks2: If a task is required for your role, it69s not voluntary. Document requests and expectations.
• 2We don69t pay for travel2: clarify which travel (home to first call is usually not paid; travel between client visits often is 6mdash; check your contract and local practice).
• 2We can69t change payroll now2: request a written plan: interim payment, retrospective review, or formal mediation. If employers are unsure of payroll obligations, the employer checklist highlights common pitfalls.

Record keeping best practice 6mdash; quick checklist

• Daily time log with clear timestamps
• Weekly summary email to yourself or manager (archive it)
• Retain rotas, shift swap confirmations and any managerial instructions
• Backup your files off your phone 6mdash; keep cloud backups and offline copies; portable power and charging strategies help if you69re in the field: Power for PopUps.
• Convert paper notes to dated photos and store them centrally

When to get legal or union help

If your employer ignores clear evidence, or if the potential backpay is substantial for you, escalate. Join or consult a trade union if available 6mdash; many unions have specialist casework for care staff. If you consider an Employment Tribunal, get early advice; the tribunal process has deadlines and formal requirements.

Preventing unpaid hours in future 6mdash; employerfacing suggestions you can propose

• Introduce a simple electronic timesheet app with mandatory clockout for travel and admin.
• Define and publish a local policy on travel between visits.
• Schedule protected admin time within paid hours to reduce offshift note writing.
• Offer clearer guidance on smartphone messaging and managerial checkins.

Final checklist 6mdash; quick reference (printable)

1. Start daily timesheet now (date it every entry).
2. Collect supporting docs (rotas, receipts, messages).
3. Quantify unpaid hours weekly and estimate lost pay.
4. Ask manager in writing how to record disputed tasks.
5. Raise grievance if unresolved; seek union/ACAS help.
6. Consider HMRC for NMW issues or Employment Tribunal with early conciliation.

Key takeaways

• Unrecorded minutes add up: consistent short tasks can total hours and significant lost pay over weeks.
• Document everything now: contemporaneous logs and timestamps are the most persuasive evidence.
• Use the escalation path: manager  6 grievance  6 ACAS  6 tribunal/HMRC.
• Local London context matters: travel times and borough pay differences make consistent tracking essential.

Resources and next steps

• ACAS: early conciliation and employment dispute guidance (check the ACAS website for 2026 updates).
• HMRC: reporting National Minimum/Living Wage shortfalls.
• Local unions and London borough worker advice services 6mdash; these often offer free casework for care staff.

Call to action: Start your timesheet today. If you want a readytouse spreadsheet and message templates tailored to care workers and earlycareer case managers in London, download our free pack or get a onehour audit of your time log from our careers advisors. Protect your hours 6mdash; and your pay.

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