A Closer Look at Easy-to-Use DOL Employment Law
Resources
elaws Advisor Spotlight Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses
FLSA elaws Advisors
To help workers and employers understand their rights
and responsibilities under federal employment laws, the U.S. Department
of Labor (DOL) offers a series of elaws Advisors — easy to use,
online tools available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at
www.dol.gov/elaws.
The
FLSA Suite of elaws Advisors helps users understand the minimum wage,
overtime, and child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),
which is enforced by DOL’s
Wage and Hour Division. Each of these Advisors provides information
tailored to specific workplace or employment situations.
The FLSA Suite of elaws Advisors covers various areas of
the Fair Labor Standards Act:
- The
Coverage and Employment Status Advisor helps identify which workers
are employees covered by the FLSA;
- The
Hours Worked Advisor provides information to help determine which
hours spent in work-related activities are considered FLSA “hours worked”
and therefore, must be paid;
- The
Overtime Security Advisor helps determine which employees are
exempt from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime pay requirements under the
Part 541 overtime regulations;
- The
Overtime Calculator Advisor computes the amount of overtime pay due
in a sample pay period based on information from the user;
- The
Child Labor Rules Advisor answers questions about the FLSA’s youth
employment provisions, including at what age young people can work and the
jobs they can perform; and
- The
Section 14(c) Advisor helps users understand the special minimum
wage requirements for workers with disabilities.
Employers and employees often have questions about overtime
hours and pay. DOL has created two Advisors that work hand-in-hand to help
answer these questions. The Hours Worked Advisor helps the user figure
out which hours are hours for which employees must be paid. The Advisor
explains whether time spent in meetings, training, meal periods, and other
pursuits is compensable time. The Overtime Calculator Advisor
describes how different payments, like bonuses, commissions, and tips, impact
the amount of overtime due for any employee entitled to overtime pay – and also
shows how the calculations were made using the pay information provided by the
user.
Another important part of the FLSA is explained by the
Child Labor Rules Advisor. This Advisor helps employers, parents, teachers,
and youth understand the rules that apply to workers under 18 years of age. The
Advisor asks questions about a youth’s age and particular working environment,
and then explains whether the youth is limited in the hours or occupations he or
she may work.
To subscribe to receive e-mail updates when new elaws
Advisors or other compliance assistance resources become available, visit
www.dol.gov/compliance/CA_subscribe.htm.
Access this tool by visiting DOL’s compliance assistance Web page,
by e-mailing us or by calling our Toll-Free Help Line
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