While employers have the potential to make mistakes or deliberately avoid overtime payments to workers throughout the whole year, there are certain times when it becomes more apparent. It is around these time periods that you should be paying very close attention to your paychecks to ensure that all your hard work is being paid for.
These periods tend to come randomly throughout the year, but mainly towards holidays where some workers take time off and some end up working more as a result. However, this could end up lasting for months once the temperatures start rising. As the summer approaches, you should be aware of the reasons why an employer’s disregard for the overtime law might show up during this season.
The busiest months of the year
Most industries that work and help customers in person will see an increase in attendance for the next few months. School is out for high school and college students, and more people may feel the need to go outside and get some errands done in the warmer weather. Some businesses might extend their hours, while those that operate seasonally will finally start getting some revenue.
New Jersey employers can require their workers to work overtime in case there are too many people to serve on certain days. However, all these extra hours around this time may be difficult for them to keep track of or they may not end up following the rules immediately. Plenty of workers end up having to perform a lot of unauthorized overtime during this season, but it isn’t an excuse for employers to not include it on the next pay check.
New talent
Companies are also searching for new faces to hire on their team around late spring not only because of how busy summer is, but also because many college students are graduating or looking for internships. Employers have many misconceptions on handling interns, and some don’t realize that many of them are eligible for overtime payments.
New workers and interns should try to establish their workload conditions ahead of time so that they can plan for the possibility of overtime and what to do if they don’t receive their additional income.
More customers and new workers may feel overwhelming to New Jersey employers during these chaotic work months, but that isn’t an excuse for them to avoid paying for overtime. If your boss refuses to include those extra hours you worked hard for into your next paycheck, consult with an employment law attorney to see if you can dispute their actions.
