Bill for unpaid end-of-shift meetings: $1.5M in back pay
It isn’t always easy for workers to pinpoint the exact moment their workday begins or ends. Most ease into the job with a variety of tasks or routines.
But if you’re not exact in your calculations of hours worked, it can lead to serious problems with the Dept. of Labor (DOL).
Hand-offs weren’t compensated
That was the case recently with field workers for Chevron subsidiaries in California and Texas.
A DOL investigation found these workers had mandatory meetings where they handed over duties to employees on the next shift.
But the hourly workers weren’t compensated for the time – and that led to more than $1.5 million in back pay and damages paid out.
It also led to violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions.
Make out-of-office workers aware
The DOL stressed that workers need to be paid for all hours worked – including pre- and post-shift meetings.
This isn’t always easy to keep track of, however – especially if workers are out in the field or away from the central offices.
Make sure supervisors and shift managers know the rule that these meetings must be compensated. Or else violations could be found.
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