While the U.S. Department of Labor provides clear documentation of its various policies, the many different standards for hours worked, wages and more can become confusing. Here are three common problems mentioned by the department.

Rest and meal periods: Employees are not required to be given short breaks or meal time by federal law. But if an employer decides to offer rest periods, compensation is required for short breaks of 5 to 20 minutes. Meal times that last 30 minutes or longer are not required to be compensated.

Tipped employees and tip pools: The federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13, but may be higher in certain states. Pooling of tips is permissible but cannot include employees who don't usually receive tips, like chefs or janitors.

Sub-minimum wage for young employees: Employees under the age of 20 can be paid less than the minimum wage, but at least $4.25 per hour, for the first 90 days of employment. After 90 days or once the employee turns 20, whichever comes first, the standard minimum wage must be paid.

Employee management software can help busy business owners differentiate rest and meal breaks, track applicable employees in a tip pool and keep tabs on wage changes for young workers. With plenty of information to know, having the right tools can make the job much easier.

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