According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, a full-time employee works 40 hours per week. California law requires an employer to pay employees overtime for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a workweek and eight hours in a workday.Eight hours of labor constitutes a day's work. Any work in excess of eight hours in one workday and any work in excess of 40 hours in any one workweek. Workers who put in more than eight hours a day or forty hours a week are required to get overtime compensation. What is the law for working hours in California? Hours Worked - Covered employees must be paid for all hours worked in a workweek. What is the maximum number of hours an employee can work in a week under California labor laws? California employers must maintain complete and accurate records of their employees' work hours following California law. If you are on an alternative workweek schedule, you may not work longer than 10 hours in a day within a 40-hour workweek without overtime pay. 2.