You could have been working overtime to meet the quality demanded by a project but does your employer agree to compensate for your extra hours? As commonplace as overtime is in the workplace, getting paid for it is equally unlikely. Employers often urge their employees to put in more hours and finish the project by the deadline even when they might not be willing to pay them for their efforts. If you are in such a fix, here are a few tips on how to get your fair share.
Know What You Deserve
Just because you are a regular salaried employee, doesn’t mean that you are not entitled to overtime pay. This myth has stopped hundreds of salaried employees from demanding what they deserve. The decision to pay you for your overtime depends on your income and job responsibilities. Your employer can’t make you slog for hours after your shift and get away without paying for it. There are a number of resources online that can help you find out whether you are entitled to overtime and to help calculate your overtime pay. Know what you deserve and demand it.
Overtime Pay Laws
Employers may refuse to pay you for the overtime hours saying they didn’t “authorize” you to work overtime. Now that the governments around the globe have become aware of such wage theft, many of them have put in place strict laws to protect the employees. There are many attorneys and law firms that can help you get your fair share. You just have to search “unpaid overtime attorney Michigan” or wherever you reside, and you can get a list of attorneys who will be more than happy to help you.
Negotiating overtime work
If your employer is known for not paying for the overtime hours, it is best you start negotiating with them to reschedule your work in the following days. You can mention that the presence of certain dignitaries, like a manager, is required during the work which may help you to avoid working overtime.
Limits on overtime work
Overtime can not only affect your physical and mental health but not getting paid for it can further put you under stress. For this reason, many states in the US have put a limit on how many hours an employee can work. Alaska, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia have put strict restrictions on the work hours of the employees. If you reside in any of these regions, you can find out if any of these laws impact your occupation.
Overtime has long been a sensitive subject at the workplace. The governments have only now become aware of it and are working towards increasing the list of occupations that are entitled to overtime pay. If your occupation is already covered by the laws, it is time that you demand to get paid for your extra hours. Your employer will not be able to risk not paying you anymore as you are backed by the law.
