We break down this increasingly prevalent form of exploitation in the workplace.
It’s an increasingly buzzy term doing the rounds in the working world, but are you familiar with the concept of wage theft? And would you be able to spot this phenomenon if it popped up in your office? We’ve broken down some of the most common forms of wage theft — plus how employers may be trying to get away with them — and got the scoop from an employment law attorney on how to proceed if you think you may be a victim.
Essentially, wage theft occurs when an employer doesn’t pay wages or other benefits that an employee has earned.
Some forms of wage theft are easier to spot than others, but there are some key signs to look out for. If you’re an hourly worker who regularly works overtime without being paid for those extra hours, you’re a victim of wage theft. Other common forms include misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor, not paying earned time off or holidays, being asked to complete work tasks when you’re off the clock, or constantly having to arrive early or stay late without compensation.
“Here’s an example pulled from one of our current claims,” says Joshua Konecky, an employment law partner at Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP. “A worker must be at the warehouse at a specific time, such as 7 a.m. If they are not there, they will not get work for that shift. But they must commute to the warehouse and wait, sometimes as much as an hour or two,...
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