Legal Working Hours

2008-04-07 17:29:40

( Computers )



Legal Working Hours in the US

In the USA, the maximum working hours for a full-time employee is forty hours a week, and no more than eight hours a day. Scheduled work hours may vary between employees or departments. Your employer requires you to be present at your workplace during your daily scheduled work hours, unless you have a telecommuting arrangement where you work away from the company premises.

If there are certain demands in your job that may need you to render more than the eight-hour daily maximum, you will receive overtime pay. By law, overtime pay should be at least twenty-five percent above your regular salary rate, multiplied by the number of hours and any fraction thereof.

Even employees with flexible working hours are covered by the daily maximum legal working hours as prescribed by the Labor Standards Act.

You are also entitled to additional compensation if your overtime work extends to the evening hours. And if you worked more than four hours of overtime, you are also entitled to meal compensation. Your employer may either provide the meal to you free of charge, or you can buy your meal and then get reimbursed for its cost by your employer.

Responsibilities of the Employer

As the employer, you should comply with the provisions of the Labor Standards Act. The stipulation on maximum working hours serves to protect your employees from physical stress and to allow them sufficient time for doing other activities during a 24-hour period, such as rest, running family errands and spending time with their families.

It is every employee's right to work only up to the normal legal working hours, and you cannot force them to do more each day.

Responsibilities of the Employee

Your employer is in no position to enforce overtime hours, unless it is part of the company's policies. For instance, there may be company policies that require you to audit and correct your daily sales balances before you can go home.

You should carefully plan your daily activities and avoid any interruptions, such as personal phone calls, that may only prevent you from finishing your daily tasks on time.


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