Although it's meant to enforce laws, a recent Department of Labor settlement suggests that Puerto Rico's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regarding compensating employees for their time and attendance. The recent decision will put around $7,777 back in the pockets of 4,500 workers as part of the $35 million case, which was one of the largest settlements ever reached by the DOL, according to The Associated Press.

Some of the problems that contributed to the violations included a surplus of compensatory time off (comp time) when overtime payments were owed. The FLSA requires that employers in the private sector pay employees at least one-and-a-half times their standard hourly rate for any time they work past 40 hours in a single workweek. There is some leniency for agencies that are part of the state or federal governments, as they can swap up to 240 hours as comp time instead of cash payments.

To correct these issues, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has also been asked to implement a new timekeeping system to maintain more accurate records of employee attendance. Updating to a digital timeclock can prove advantageous for companies that must demonstrate compliance to reduce the liability of future violations.

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