Has your employer ever asked you to perform duties off the clock? This includes work that you are required to do after clocking out, before clocking in, or during a break without pay. Douglas Han a lawyer at Justice Law Corporation in California, adds that “Frequently, employees remain confused as to whether or not certain off-the-clock activities should be paid time, or they may not even realize that they are engaged in working off the clock. For example, where an employer requires an employee to wear protective equipment that must be donned before he or she can be deemed ‘clocked in’ or removed after the employee has ‘clocked out,’ that is working off the clock.”
Such off-the-clock work is a violation of California state-wide regulations as well as the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that may expose employers to wage and hour lawsuits. Although working a few minutes off the clock may seem as being insignificant, it is necessary to pay employees for every minute worked so that the employers do not outdo minimum wage or overtime payments. Moreover, Douglas Han draws attention to the essential fact that “even several minutes a day may not seem like much, but it adds up.”
Certainly, many examples of off-the-clock work at the workplace can be shared. Similarly, Douglas Han, Partner at Justice Law Corporation, gives examples such as gathering tools or paperwork before the start of a shift, post-work clean-up or trash disposal and using a timekeeping system that rounds your start and stop time. An employee can fight for their rights through a lost wage and/or a wage and hour lawsuit.
If an employee believes their wages are being withheld for an extended period due to off-the-clock work, it is important to get a good workers’ compensation law firm. An experienced lawyer can present your case, maximizing all the applicable laws and evidence dug from your records. Look through the list of California law firms that have specialized in workers’ compensation law, with Justice Law Corporation , operating from its headquarters in Pasadena, California, touted as one fantastic option.