IT’D BE SUCH A GREAT JOB—IF ONLY THEY REMEMBERED TO PAY YOU WHAT YOU’RE OWED.

November 20, 2016

Christopher Anderson

When you got this job, you couldn’t believe your luck. The hours were decent, there was opportunity for advancement, and your co-workers were (and are) great. But there’s a big problem that appears to be getting worse over time.

It started when your boss started making some suspect requests. “We’d like you to go ahead and clock out now, but please stick around for a mandatory meeting,” he tells you. “It’ll just take a couple minutes,” he says. An hour and a half later you finally leave the office knowing you’ll receive no compensation for your time.

But you’re a good employee, you know they wouldn’t purposefully take advantage of your good nature (right?), so you’ll let it slide. Until the same situation or others like it continue to happen again and again. Your boss starts expecting you to be on-call after hours. He tells you they don’t want you to work over 40 hours in a week but gives you more work than could reasonably be completed in that time. He tells you, “Sorry. Our company has a policy against paying overtime even if you do end up working more than 40 hours.”

As an hourly employee, you know it just doesn’t seem right—and that’s because it isn’t, either ethically or legally.

Robbed on the Job

You feel taken advantage of, and with good reason. Working too many hours and not getting paid what you’re owed is wage theft. It doesn’t matter how nice your associates are or what great things could lie ahead if you just put up with being cheated. Your employer is using you for free labor. End of story.

You’re not the only one either. Even salaried workers who are lawfully exempt from overtime can have their wages stolen by their employers. Sometimes it can be nuanced, like when the employer designates an employee as salaried and overtime exempt, when their duties actually dictate that they should be paid overtime. Other times it’s more obvious, like simply telling you that the company doesn’t have enough to pay your full paycheck this pay period, but that they will make up for it in the future.

When things like this happen, maybe you don’t want to complain and rock the boat. Your job is making it possible for you to pay the bills, and other than these suspect requests from your boss about your hours or your salary, you love everything else about it. But look at it this way: by failing to act on your rights and getting properly paid for the hours you work, you’re doing your family, your coworkers, and yourself a major disservice.

If you’re being underpaid or taken advantage of by your employer, there are actions you can take to correct the problem. At AndersonDodson we offer free, confidential consultations that often turn into that very first step toward getting paid what you are rightfully owed. Even if your boss did find out that you had consulted with an attorney, it’s illegal for him or her to retaliate against you in any way for doing so.

Don’t let your unpaid labor fund the company’s next big party or golf tournament. You did the work, so if anyone should be partying or spending a few blissful hours on the green, it’s you. Call us today and let us help you – not your employer – get what you deserve.