Defending Employers in Wage and Hour Disputes: What NYC Businesses Should Know

Wage and hour disputes represent a major concern for businesses. Often overlooked, these employment disputes can result in major losses for a business. Those losses place the business in jeopardy of not being able to pay employees, missing important deadlines for clients, and even forcing some employers to go out of business.

Defending a business from wage and hour disputes has evolved into a necessary type of legal service. Those businesses that have a well-thought-out plan to combat these wage and hour disputes typically are able to weather any temporary problems and come out the other side in a viable financial position.

A NYC wage and hour defense attorney knows how to defend against these claims. The Knox Law Group takes the time to get to know the needs of our clients. As a result, our team of legal professionals can guide our clients through even the most complex wage and hour disputes.

Defining Wage and Hour Claims

A wage and hour dispute occurs when a current or former employee files a lawsuit against your business, arguing that you violated labor laws related to pay. Having not received fair compensation, in their opinion, the employee attempts to assert a legal claim based on unfair pay, withheld overtime, or improper working hours.

What Are the Responsibilities of Employers and Employees in Relation to Wage and Hour Claims?

Both employees and employers have various responsibilities in relation to wage and hour matters. First, employers need to pay their hourly employees for every single hour worked. This is true even if the employee completes work not requested directly by the employer. So long as the employer knows or has a reasonable belief that work has been performed, that employer is obligated to pay the employee for the hours worked.

Employees are responsible for reporting their hours worked, either remotely or for those that were unscheduled. The employee needs to be able to understand the system set up by their employer to log hours worked. Doing so is how an employee can ensure that their full pay is received at each paycheck.

What Are Effective Defenses Against a Wage and Hour Dispute?

The best defense in a wage and hour dispute case involves diligent record keeping. However, your business keeps track of employee pay, hours, jobs completed, or anything else related to their core job functions; those records should be maintained very well. Timesheets, total hours worked per week, documentation about the breaks provided to employees, and their vacation days. The more thorough the record keeping, the better opportunity you have to withstand a wage and hour dispute.

Next, your business should be familiar with both NYC and New York state employment laws and regulations related to employee pay. Wage and overtime requirements are among the most contested matters in employment-related legal disputes. Paying your employees must be done in accordance with both sets of laws. An experienced NYC wage and hour disputes attorney can help you.

Contact a Wage and Hour Disputes Defense Attorney Today

The Knox Law Group combines experience in defending businesses from wage and hour disputes with the heart of a teacher. We advocate strongly for our clients inside and outside the courtroom. At the same time, our team educates our clients on the law and helps them to make well-informed decisions based on their particular circumstances. A confidential consultation is available when you contact us today.