Following an investigation by the Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division, Hawkins Tree and Landscaping in Shakopee, Minnesota, was ordered to pay 57 employees $478,000 in back wages for unpaid overtime, the Pioneer Press reports. The investigation revealed the company was not properly paying foremen, crew leaders, drivers and laborers for their employee attendance.

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers are required to pay employees minimum wage and overtime rates (one-and-a-half-times the regular pay) for any hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek.

The DOL announced the settlement this week, the news source reports, which granted workers back wages and also required the company to pay $22,000 in civil penalties. An additional condition of the settlement requires Hawkins Tree and Landscaping to take steps to prevent future violations, such as posting FLSA posters in Spanish as well as English and outsourcing human resources experts to perform payroll audits twice a year, the source added.

Employers can avoid potential violations by regularly reviewing their time attendance policies and comparing them with state and federal labor laws. 

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