Is Your Employer Requiring You to Work Off the Clock?

Our Ohio wage law attorneys can fight for you

Were you pressured to work off the clock for no extra pay? Did your employer refuse to promote you, give you negative performance evaluations, or even threaten to fire you if you refused to work extra hours for free? Is there a culture in your workplace where employees are expected to go “above and beyond” without being paid for additional hours worked?

By law, you are entitled to be paid for all of the time you spend working – whether you are on the clock or off the clock. At Nilges Draher LLC, our wage law attorneys fight for workers’ rights. We can help.

Common off-the-clock work situations

If your employer requires you to work off-the-clock, you might have a minimum wage or an overtime claim, or both. This includes time spent at work-off-the clock or time spent at home off-the-clock. For example, you are entitled to be paid at least the legal minimum wage for:

• Time spent checking or responding to work-related emails or returning work-related phone calls away from the office.
• Work that you perform before or after your shift.
• Arriving early for your shift if required to do so by your employer.
• Travel time that is part of your job duties.
• Training that is required for your job.
• Work done during unpaid breaks.

Of course, such off-the-clock work could put you into overtime territory if you exceed 40 hours worked in a 7-day work week. In this case, you could have a claim for unpaid overtime.

Odds are good that you are not the only employee being treated this way by your employer. You and your colleagues have the right to pursue a class or collective action against your employer to recover unpaid wages for all of your off-the-clock work. Our wage law attorneys have extensive experience handling these types of cases in Ohio and beyond.

There is no such thing as volunteer work. It is your time, and you are entitled to be paid for it. If you perform off-the-clock work without pay, contact us for a free, confidential consultation with a member of our legal team. We can help.