HR Specialist: Employment Law

Clear, common-sense employment law advice that cuts directly to the bottom line. An attorney may say what the law is – but the monthly issues of HR Specialist: Employment Law and its related weekly e-letters explain what managers and human resource professionals should do that is both safe and practical in the real world of business. Learn more about HR Specialist: Employment Law and the two free reports you'll get when you subscribe...

Work time is paid time. Period. You still must pay employees even if they work through a company-mandated meal break without a supervisor’s approval, according to a new U.S. Department of Labor opinion letter released July 29.

A New York company’s policy said employees must take a 30-minute uninterrupted, unpaid meal break that “cannot be waived by the employee nor substituted for any other time.”

But what about hourly workers who violate the policy? The DOL’s response: “Employers must compensate the employee for all hours worked, including the time worked during the missed meal period.” Review this opinion letter (FLSA 2008-7NA) and others at www.dol.gov/esa/whd/opinion/opinion.htm.