Unpaid wage claims seem to be filed with more frequency lately. These claims can have tremendous ramifications for employers, too. While judgment against you can shake the financial stability of your business, it can also negatively impact your ability to recruit and retain employees. After all, workers aren’t going to want to stick around if they think that they’re not going to get paid.
How can you defend yourself?
If you’re worried about being hit with a wage claim at some point, then you need to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself. Here are just a few of the ways that you can go about doing that:
- Have written policies that make it clear that workers cannot perform work-related duties while off the clock.
- Ensure that supervisors are trained so that they understand that they can’t request off-the-clock work be performed.
- Analyze worker classification to ensure that workers are properly classified and therefore paid properly.
- Assess payments made to employees to ensure that you’re only making proper deductions.
- Have a policy in place for reporting wage and hour complaints so that you can head them off quickly.
- Have a strong record keeping system of employee payments and work histories.
- Gather evidence to show that you have, in fact, paid wages that are earned.
Do you know how to build your legal strategy?
There can be a lot at stake in a wage and hour claim. That’s why it’s imperative that you know how to implement preventative measures and build compelling legally strategies. That can be difficult to do if you’re unfamiliar with this area of the law, which is why experienced law firms like ours stand ready to assist you every step of the way. Only then can you rest assured that you’ve done everything in your power to protect your interests.
