Misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime is one of the most common Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations and a focal point for government enforcement. Below are eight red flags that an employee is (or may be) misclassified.
Red flag #1: Employee is paid hourly.
With few exceptions (the most common being the exceptions for computer and outside sales employees and doctors, lawyers and teachers under the professional exemption) under federal law, exempt employees must generally be paid a set salary of at least $684 per week for each workweek they perform work. Your state may have different exemption criteria (see #7 below).
Red flag #2: Employee is paid a salary less than $684 per week because they are part-time.
Under the FLSA, administrative, professional, and executive employees must receive a salary of at least $684 per week (some states require a higher salary), regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time. Under the FLSA, employees paid a salary of less than $684 per week must be classified as non-exempt and paid overtime whenever they work more than 40 hours in a workweek.
Red flag #3: Duties test was never performed.
Some employers mistakenly believe that as long as the employee is paid a salary that meets the minimum requirement, the employee can be classified as exempt. However, to be classified as exempt, the employee must satisfy both the salary and the duties tests. Each exemption has its own duties test. Failure to apply the duties test may result in misclassification. Additionally, since an employee's responsibilities can change, regularly verify your exempt employees' status to ensure they continue to meet the duties test that applies to their position.
Red flag #4: Job title was used to determine exempt status.
Employees' job titles don't determine whether they are exempt from overtime. Unless they satisfy the salary and duties test, employees must be classified as non-exempt and paid overtime whenever they work more than 40 hours in a workweek (under the FLSA), as well as meet any applicable state overtime requirements.
Red flag #5: Employee's primary duty is manual labor.
The exemptions do not apply to manual laborers or employees who perform work involving repetitive operations with their hands, physical skill, and energy. Employees such as carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, iron workers, craftsmen, operating engineers, longshoremen, construction workers, and laborers may not be classified as exempt.
Red flag #6: Employee is automatically classified as exempt because they have a college degree.
Simply because an employee has a college degree doesn't mean they satisfy the duties test for the professional exemption. To qualify for this exemption, the employee's primary duty must involve work that requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning where specialized academic training is necessary. It does not apply to jobs that may be performed with general knowledge acquired by an academic degree in any field. For more information on this exemption, see DOL Fact Sheet 17D.
Red flag #7: State exemption criteria wasn’t considered.
Some states have established their own tests for exemption, some of which have higher minimum salaries and/or more stringent duties tests than the FLSA requires. If your employees work in one of the states with its own tests for exemption, you need to apply both the state and federal tests to determine the employee's status under both sets of laws.
If the employee satisfies the federal tests but not the state tests, the employee is entitled to overtime in all the circumstances covered by state law.
Example: If a California employee is exempt under federal law, but not under state law, the employee must receive 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over eight in a workday, over 40 in a workweek, and for the first eight hours of work performed on the seventh consecutive workday in a single workweek. California also requires double time for hours worked over 12 in a workday and over eight in the seventh consecutive workday in a workweek.
Red flag #8: You make deductions as you would for non-exempt employees.
Unlike non-exempt employees, exempt employees must generally receive their full salary in any workweek in which they perform work. Deductions from an exempt employee's salary are permitted only in a few limited circumstances:
- Absences for one or more full days for personal reasons other than sickness or disability;
- For one or more full day absences due to sickness or disability if the deduction is made according to a bona fide plan, policy or practice of providing compensation for salary lost due to illness;
- To offset jury or witness fees, or for temporary military duty pay;
- For penalties imposed in good faith for infractions of safety rules of major significance;
- For unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more full days imposed in good faith for workplace conduct infractions;
- In the employee's first or last week of employment if the employee does not work the full week; or
- For unpaid leave taken by the employee under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
If you make deductions from an exempt employee’s salary because they leave work early for personal reasons, for attendance or performance issues, when the business closes on a holiday, when the employee fails to return company equipment, or other situations in which deductions are off limits, you may jeopardize the employee’s exempt status.
Conclusion:
Misclassifying employees as exempt from overtime can result in back overtime, fines, and damages. Before classifying employees as exempt, make sure they satisfy applicable federal and state tests. When in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of caution and classify employees as non-exempt.