The U.S. Labor Department’s Wage & Hour Division urges employers to develop a relationship with their local offices to prevent wage-hour violations, an agency official said March 21.
“Develop a relationship with your local wage and hour office,” said Jessica Looman, acting administrator of the Wage & Hour Division. “We want to have really strong relationships with practitioners.”
Employers should contact their local Wage & Hour office if they discover a payroll violation or need clarification on wage-hour rules and guidance, she said. They can also review the Wage & Hour Division’s website and read opinion letters that provide guidance on specific wage-hour issues.
“It’s never too late, it’s never too big of a risk to do the right thing,” she said at American Payroll Association’s Capital Summit in Washington, D.C.
Worker Misclassification
The Wage & Hour Division is focusing on protecting the rights and wages of low-wage workers, and employers can disadvantage low-wage workers by misclassifying them as independent contractors, Looman said.
“An independent contractor is an independent business,” Looman said. “We really encourage employers to think about how they’re contracting, why they’re contracting, to whom they’re contracting, and making sure that they have...
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