Defining Employment Hours And Wage Law

Employers must follow the prescribed employment hours and wage law in order to avoid litigation and disputes with their workers which could create a bad image for the company.

These laws are made to provide workers just compensation for the work they have rendered to the company.

However, there are some employers unintentionally commit violations of these laws because they are unaware of certain privileges that employees are entitled to.

These small mistakes and misunderstandings can lead to court proceedings wherein the company might end up paying back wages and other penalties.

To avoid this hassle, it would be wise for the company owner to consult an employment / labor attorney who can review company policies and ensure that it does not violate any workers rights.


Role of the FLSA

The FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) enforces the minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor laws, and the working hours of an employee. So, workers who have complaints regarding the above issues, they can file their grievances with the FLSA who will conduct an investigation and find out whether a violation has been committed.


Employment Hours and Overtime Pay

An employee, who is not an exempt worker, should allot 40 working hours weekly. Amount of time that would exceed the prescribed working hours will be compensated for by the company.

An overtime hour will be tantamount to 150% of the regular hourly wage that the worker receives.


Minimum Wage

Federal laws dictate minimum wage so that workers can provide themselves with their daily needs by earning compensation income. However, federal-mandated minimum wage may sometimes be lower than that of the states minimum wage.

In case this happens, the worker is to receive minimum salary which is higher (usually, the state minimum wage).


Other Root of Disputes

Aside from working hours and wages, employers face employment disputes which usually include:

Rest and meal breaks

Sexual Harassment

Race / age / gender discrimination

Workers compensation

Family Leave

Employers must see to it that the governing policy in the company doesnt violate any employment rights. Also, they should not condone supervisors who use their power in the company in order to get what they want from the worker.

If a complaint is filed with the concerned company department, the employer must immediately conduct an investigation and find out whether the allegations against personnel are true. If it is, then, they must enforce the appropriate punishment.

Be it the employer or the worker, they need a legal counsel who can handle their case efficiently and make sure that these lawyers will represent the best of their interest.