Sometimes employers take advantage of those they consider easy to take advantage of. For example, few employers would be daft enough to mess around with the wages of an experienced executive. They are more likely to do so with people they consider do not know their rights and, even if they did, would not complain.
Hence, many employers continue to get away with paying employees less than they should. Here are some of the ways they might do that:
- Retaining tips
- Paying below minimum wage
- Not paying included breaks
- Failing to document hours worked correctly
- Failing to calculate bonuses accurately or to pay them at all
- Refusing time off that you are eligible for
- Getting workers to start a little earlier or stay a little later than their contract
- Refusing to pay overtime at the full rate it is due of 1.5 times your usual rate
- Forcing you to take time off in lieu instead of paying overtime
You may already find it impossible to live on the wage you make. The $7.25 an hour that Kentucky stipulates as the minimum wage has not risen since 2008. Practically everything you need to spend your money on has.
What can you do if your employer has violated wage and hour laws?
If your employer is trying to reduce your wages even more by illicit means, then you need to find out how to bring a wage and hour claim. You have a right to do this, and if your employer tries to retaliate against you for doing so, you have options to hold them to account for that too. If you believe you have grounds to claim, find out more to understand your options.
