Wage theft happens when an employer takes advantage of their employees for personal financial gain. A victim of wage theft often only discovers their salary was taken after the fact. This can not only be frustrating but it can create issues for an employee’s living situation.
Employers will try to excuse their actions to avoid litigation. There are a few examples of how employers will try to steal from employees:
“You don’t earn that much”
An employer may try to give an employee less than minimum wage. In Indiana, the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. An employee may calculate their total earnings to see if their employee is paying them minimum wage.
“You aren’t entitled to overtime”
Working more than an employee’s regular hours entitles them to overtime pay. Overtime pay calculates to one and one half of an employee’s typical pay for every hour worked past 40 hours in a week. An employer may try to avoid paying an employee for the extra hours they worked by stating that they aren’t entitled to these benefits.
“You are exempt”
Some employees are exempt from overtime. However, if you were told you would gain overtime pay when you were hired, then you may have been misclassified as exempt or as a contracted worker.
“You were working off the clock”
Some employers try to get employees to work overtime without being paid by asking them to work off the clock. When an employee works off the clock, then their hours may not be recorded and they may not gain overtime pay. However, even employees who work off the clock are entitled to overtime wages.
If something your employer said makes you believe that they are stealing from you, then it can help to learn about your legal rights.
