Workers in California have pay rights that include the right to overtime wages in numerous circumstances. California law is actually more thorough than federal overtime laws. There are more scenarios in which California workers are potentially eligible for overtime pay when compared with workers in other states.
Despite those enhanced protections, quite a few California employees fall victim to manipulative employment practices. Businesses do everything in their power to convince people that they don’t deserve overtime wages for the work they perform. There are several ways in which employers may try to trick workers out of the pay they have already earned. The following are some of the more common manipulation tactics employees need to watch out for after working extra hours.
Enforcement of no-overtime policies
The higher hourly wage paid for overtime work provides an incentive for companies to avoid overtime in many cases. It is reasonable and completely legal for companies to refuse to schedule workers for overtime pay or to require that they clock out and end a shift once they become eligible for overtime pay. However, if a worker puts in more than 40 hours in one week, works seven days in a row or works an exceptionally long shift, they have a right to overtime pay regardless of company policy. Businesses sometimes try to trick workers into giving up their earned wages after they have already performed the labor.
Training workers inappropriately
Violations of overtime rules often begin as soon as someone starts a job at a company. The person training them might instruct them to perform some work without compensation. It is common for service industry employees to receive instructions to fulfill certain tasks before or after a shift. Some managers at offices demand that workers show up 15 minutes early but clock in at the beginning of their scheduled time. Employees in California deserve pay for all time worked, including repetitive job tasks at the beginning or end of a shift. Companies should not demand that workers perform any work off the clock.
Offering low salaries
Both California and the federal government maintain minimum salary standards for exempt employees. An assistant manager at a retail shop has to receive a certain amount in salary income for a company to avoid paying them overtime. If a business doesn’t need the minimum salary threshold and refuses to pay overtime wages, scheduling workers in a way that should lead to overtime pay could be a violation of their rights.
Workers who know their rights under California and federal employment laws can stand up for themselves. Discussing what seems like a wage or overtime violation with a skilled legal team could help people determine whether they have grounds to take action against an employer refusing to pay them for time already worked.