Employers, are you unknowingly taking advantage of your employees’ unpaid labour?
Employees, are you working for free?
I meet so many employees in my practice and in my personal life that are paid an annual salary based on a 40-hour work week, who routinely work more than 40 hours without any compensation.
Many even work within the overtime threshold and are not paid 1.5x their regular pay.
Some employers even maliciously create a culture where, if employees do not provide massive amounts of free labour, they are not a “team-player” or are not dedicated to the business.
This is unlawful.
Employers may even get away with all of this because many employees don’t know their rights, the economy sucks so people are heavily dependent on employment income, and if employment continues for a long time, the issue may never surface.
However, once an employee is terminated, they may no longer feel that sense of loyalty and desire to be a team player.
During my consults with employees, I always investigate whether the employee has been providing free labour, and when they are, we seek 100% of those wages in addition to requesting a higher severance package, and even general damages in some cases.
Employers, if you want to avoid liability, which could be as extreme as a class-action, I highly recommend you speak with me as soon as possible.
Employees, if you are routinely expected to provide free labour, please reach out to me.
You can reach me at stephanie@workplacesage.com
