Exempt employees work too many hours
lorrie
306 Posts
How many hours can a company actually require its salaried management (exempt) employees work?
Our regular work schedule is 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with one hour off for lunch. We are required to attend a sales meeting once each month on a Saturday, and it usually runs about 8 a.m. to 12 noon or so. Of course we are also expected to stay late to complete our work, and come in after hours for occasional special events, and stay late when meetings do not finish by 5:30 p.m.
(The company owner/president comes in around 9 a.m. each morning, and frequently takes extra long lunches, as well as leaving when he needs to take care of personal business. - This is not an issue given the fact that he owns the company, but he is not usually in a hurry to leave at 5:30 p.m. so sometimes meetings run long)
Of the 30+ managment employees on staff, there is not a single person who abuses the exempt status. In fact I rarely see everyone leave when the clock hits 5:30 p.m. They stay because they are truly dedicated, not because they don't have a life.
I have been hearing some pretty serious grumblings from the staff recently. For the summer months, our Saturday sales meeting has been changed to Friday, to begin late afternoon, which means we won't leave until around 9 p.m. or so. While the staff is thankful to have those Saturdays free, the idea of working 13-14 hours in a day is not too appealing.
Are there any laws that state that an employer cannot require its exempt employees to work more than a set number of hours each day/ week/ etc.?
Our regular work schedule is 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with one hour off for lunch. We are required to attend a sales meeting once each month on a Saturday, and it usually runs about 8 a.m. to 12 noon or so. Of course we are also expected to stay late to complete our work, and come in after hours for occasional special events, and stay late when meetings do not finish by 5:30 p.m.
(The company owner/president comes in around 9 a.m. each morning, and frequently takes extra long lunches, as well as leaving when he needs to take care of personal business. - This is not an issue given the fact that he owns the company, but he is not usually in a hurry to leave at 5:30 p.m. so sometimes meetings run long)
Of the 30+ managment employees on staff, there is not a single person who abuses the exempt status. In fact I rarely see everyone leave when the clock hits 5:30 p.m. They stay because they are truly dedicated, not because they don't have a life.
I have been hearing some pretty serious grumblings from the staff recently. For the summer months, our Saturday sales meeting has been changed to Friday, to begin late afternoon, which means we won't leave until around 9 p.m. or so. While the staff is thankful to have those Saturdays free, the idea of working 13-14 hours in a day is not too appealing.
Are there any laws that state that an employer cannot require its exempt employees to work more than a set number of hours each day/ week/ etc.?
Comments
That being said, I would suggest that someone talk to the boss about the situation. You may begin to have a real morale problem. You're right that people have lives outside of work...and they shouldn't have to feel guilty about that.
Some jobs do require more hours...and are generally paid accordingly. Can you say that about your ee's?
Even fabulous bonuses and paychecks will not offset the complete lack of time to enjoy the fruits of ones labors and spend time with the life outside of work. It is sometimes hard to remember that we work to live, not live to work.
Are you the number two person at the company? If not, others may share some responsibility here.
If you see signs of burnout, you might approach him from the standpoint that people may be leaving soon absent some relief. He might help them out the door or he might find other ways to get the jobs done, like hire more people. You will have to make the judgement about the amount of personal risk you should take.
The subject has been brought up several times over the years, and we have certainly seen some great talent walk out the door. I will continue to bring the issue before the company owner. I believe it is part of my job to let him know the morale of the employees, and to make suggestions for improvement when necessary.
On the other end, I try to be understanding when an employee tells me they want to look for another job. I let them know that we all realize they have to do what is right for them and their families, and I certainly respect that decision. I also remind them that no place is perfect, and to be careful of believing that the grass is always greener somewhere else. Most every employer has its good and its bad, and each employee has to decide for him/herself which bad they can live with, and which good is most important.
Thank you all for your responses.
I don't know if it will help, or if you have already tried this...but perhaps you could pull together some information on workplace stress, workplace violence even, burnout, work/life balance and have it at the ready when you speak to the owner. Also, you may consider doing a mini-benchmark type activity with other companies in your industry or geographical area. Perhaps you could even do a "satisfaction survey" at your company on different facets (not just the hours but benefits, rewards, etc). Information is ammo. I'm not saying take a lot of time, compile a report, and throw it in the face of the owner...just get some info on your side that supports "best practices" and "being an employer of choice" and "retention". Then, you will have it to refer to when you have this conversation.
A book I have has a lot of great info on recruiting/retention and gives a ton of examples of "what workers really want" and how various companies are attempting to meet their needs (the examples are from A LOT of different companies, not just the big ones with all the dough). It's called, "The Employee Recruitment and Retention Handbook" and it's by Diane Arthur. It's a little spendy at $75, but you could always try to get it used from Powells.com or somewhere like eBay or Half.com. Another good book is "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay" by Beverly Kaye. That one is much more affordable, about $15 or so. I have not read this one myself, but have heard rave reviews on it.
Good luck to you and keep us posted.
PORK