Do you have to pay employees for overtime?

Employers must pay employees for any overtime hours they “suffer or permit” the employees to work, whether the overtime is authorized or not.

What happens if you work over 40 hours without overtime?

Discipline employees for breaking the rule to not work over 40 hours. Ask employees to clock out and continue working. Pressure employees into an unspoken “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation where employees implicitly know they are expected to work more than 40 hours without overtime pay.

Can you refuse to work overtime on short notice?

Overtime is not compulsory and employees can refuse to work overtime on short notice, unless the employee contractually agreed to be available to work overtime on short notice. In circumstances we overtime work on short notice is required by the employer, fairness towards the employee must be taken into consideration.

How does an employer avoid paying unauthorized overtime?

An employee tells a manager that he or she is working after hours. Some employers try to avoid having to pay overtime for work they didn’t request or know about by adopting a policy prohibiting overtime work unless the employee gets permission. Typically, these policies state that unauthorized overtime will not be paid.

Employers must pay employees for any overtime hours they “suffer or permit” the employees to work, whether the overtime is authorized or not.

What are the rules for overtime for nonexempt employees?

There is a lot of confusion and many misconceptions amongst both employers and employees when it comes to overtime rules. Overtime (according to federal and many states’ laws) is the time a nonexempt employee works over 40 hours in a single workweek. For every hour over 40, that employee must be compensated with 1.5 times his or her normal wage.

Can a employer discipline an employee for working overtime?

An employer can discipline an employee if he or she violates the employer’s policy of working overtime without the required authorization. However, California’s wage and hour laws require that the employee be compensated for any hours he or she is “suffered or permitted to work, whether or not required to do so.”