Work Hours: Overtime, Breaks, and More
Learn the legal rules that apply to the "hour" side of wage and hour law, including what counts as an hour worked (for which you must be paid), whether employers have to offer meal and rest breaks, and when employers can impose furloughs, hour cuts, or pay cuts, all too common responses to tough economic times.
The section also explains the law of overtime, including who is entitled to it, how must you get, what state laws require, and what to do if your employer doesn't pay you for the overtime you work.
Hours of Work
Hours of Work
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Overtime Pay: Your Rights as an Employee
Learn when employees are entitled to overtime pay.
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Since the Great Depression in the 1930s, most employers in the United States have been legally required to pay overtime to eligible employees who work more than 40 hours in a week. The original purpose of this rule was to spread the work around and get as many people as possible off the unemployment rolls.
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Furloughs, Hour Cuts, and Pay Cuts: Your Rights
When businesses hit tough times, many employers try to avoid permanent layoffs by putting their employees on furlough. These furloughs may take the form of a reduction in employee hours or what is essentially a temporary layoff. Other employers simply cut their employees' pay.
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Meal and Rest Breaks: Your Rights as an Employee
Many employers provide employees with a rest or lunch break, whether paid or unpaid. This common practice is not required everywhere, however: The federal wage and hour law, called the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), doesn't require employers to provide meal or rest breaks.
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State Laws on Meal and Rest Breaks
Contrary to the laws of gastronomy, federal law does not require that you be allotted or paid for breaks to eat meals.
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Are You Entitled to Travel Time Pay?
If you take a lot of business trips, you might be wondering whether you are getting paid enough.
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Understanding the “White-Collar” Exemptions
One of the most costly mistakes that a business can make is misclassifying its employees as exempt.
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