Wheaton Wage and Hour Violations Lawyer

Employment Law Attorney Helping With Underreported Work Hours in Wheaton, Illinois

You deserve to be paid for all the work you actually do. If your employer is paying you for fewer hours than you actually worked, you might be experiencing what is known as wage theft. Wage theft is more common in some industries than others, but can happen to any hourly worker. Simple things like being asked to perform a small task before clocking in or after clocking out violate Illinois's labor laws. Many employers and even employees see small wage and hour violations as "part of the job" and tolerate them. However, these small violations can add up quickly. If you and a few of your co-workers are each paid for a few minutes less than you worked each day, that can amount to thousands of dollars in unpaid wages when your attorney calculates what you are owed. If you were paid less than you were entitled to be paid for your work, you might be able to recover your unpaid wages plus damages.

JSL Law, LLC is experienced in working with employees who have been paid for less work than they actually performed. Attorney Jolianne Alexander is highly knowledgeable in employment law and has spent years representing both employees and small businesses. She will work closely with you to find a resolution to your case that you are happy with. Many employment law cases can be resolved without litigation, but Attorney Alexander is prepared to go to court to help you recover the wages you are owed. After your case has ended, she can also help make sure you are not harmed by any type of unlawful retaliation.

Common Types of Wage and Hour Violations

Recognizing that you have experienced a wage violation is not always easy or straightforward. Employers who know that they are taking advantage of their employees can be very good at making an illegal request seem innocuous. A few common ways employers might violate Illinois's wage and hour laws include:

• Asking you to work before or after clocking out - Your employer should not ask you to do any work that will benefit the company before you have clocked in or after you have clocked out. For example, say you already clocked out when your supervisor tells you that you forgot to complete a closing task. He wants you to go finish the task "really quick" without clocking back in. This would be a wage violation, because you are being asked to work off the clock.
• Interrupting your break with work tasks - When you are on break, you should not be bothered with work-related tasks. If you are expected to interrupt your break to help your employer with something, you should be paid for the time spent working.
• Not paying overtime when required - Employees who work more than 40 hours in a week have certain rights when it comes to receiving overtime pay. Unless you are an exempt employee, you should receive time and a half pay for your overtime hours.
• Not counting some types of work - Mandatory meetings and trainings, or any other seminar or gathering your employer requires you to attend, should be treated as working hours. Even if you are not performing your traditional job duties, your employer is requiring you to take time out of your day to be there and participate. You deserve to be paid for this time.
• Making deductions that are not permitted - There are very strict laws controlling when and why your employer can deduct wages from your paycheck. Your employer cannot deduct wages from your check as a way of charging you for work uniforms or other job tools. Some employers will attempt to introduce penalties that are not allowed by law, such as deducting pay because a certain task was not completed during the employee's shift or to cover expenses that are the employer's responsibility.

Contact a Wheaton, Illinois Wage and Hour Violations Lawyer

JSL Law, LLC is committed to helping employees receive fair pay. Experienced Wheaton, IL wage and hour violation attorney Jolianne Alexander will do all she can to help you recover your unpaid wages and stop future violations. Contact us at 630-730-8135 for a complimentary consultation.