Typical payroll violations in professional office environments
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was introduced in 1938 to ensure employees were being paid fairly and receiving basic benefits from employers. Despite a perception that these measures are only of concern to low-wage, service-based employment environments, they also apply to a number of professional workplaces as well.
If employers of professional offices are unfamiliar with the FLSA, they run the risk of paying workers improperly. Ultimately, this can lead to investigations and penalties, if they are indeed violating that FLSA's minimum wage, overtime or recordkeeping provisions.
According to the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, there are three common problems that take place in professional environments, such as doctors' offices, law firms and accounting practices.
One involves misclassifying employees and failing to pay them overtime simply because they receive a salary instead of an hourly wage. The second includes not paying workers for all of their time and attendance, including lunch breaks and early arrivals or late departures. Finally, employers may run into problems if they do not pay workers for time spent performing tasks at home. If employees are allowed to work remotely, those hours must be included in overall totals.
Supervisors that are uncertain about labor law specifics, and the ways in which they apply to their companies can consider outsourcing human resources professionals to bring policies and payroll practices into compliance.
If employers of professional offices are unfamiliar with the FLSA, they run the risk of paying workers improperly. Ultimately, this can lead to investigations and penalties, if they are indeed violating that FLSA's minimum wage, overtime or recordkeeping provisions.
According to the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, there are three common problems that take place in professional environments, such as doctors' offices, law firms and accounting practices.
One involves misclassifying employees and failing to pay them overtime simply because they receive a salary instead of an hourly wage. The second includes not paying workers for all of their time and attendance, including lunch breaks and early arrivals or late departures. Finally, employers may run into problems if they do not pay workers for time spent performing tasks at home. If employees are allowed to work remotely, those hours must be included in overall totals.
Supervisors that are uncertain about labor law specifics, and the ways in which they apply to their companies can consider outsourcing human resources professionals to bring policies and payroll practices into compliance.
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