If you’re like me and still haven’t found the perfect gifts, you’ll be doing some last-minute shopping over the next few weeks. And even though the holiday season is in full swing, you’ll still see many “Help Wanted” and “Now Hiring” signs hanging in brightly decorated storefront windows.
Every year, temporary and part-time employment spikes as retailers and other types of companies hire extra employees to accommodate a seasonal increase in business. And for some workers, it’s a time to earn a little extra cash or even get a foot in the door to land a permanent job.
But workers who are not familiar with this sort of employment and employers that are unaccustomed to hiring part-time and/or seasonal employees may not be aware of all the rules that apply.
To help guide both employees and employers through this busy season, the department’s Wage and Hour Division has created a new Holiday Season Employment Information Fact Sheet. The fact sheet contains answers to commonly asked questions, and provides valuable information about how the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage, overtime pay, record-keeping and child labor requirements apply to seasonal or part-time employment situations.
We want to help employers and workers alike have positive employment experiences this holiday season. For more information about labor laws, visit the Wage and Hour Division’s website at www.dol.gov/whd.
Nancy Leppink is the deputy administrator for the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.