LinkedIn Corp. will pay almost $6 million to 359 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation revealed that the company had committed overtime and recordkeeping violations.
According to DOL, LinkedIn failed to record and pay employees for all hours worked, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. It will pay $3,346,195 in back wages and $2,509,646 in liquidated damages to the affected workers. The current and former employees worked at the company’s branches in California, Illinois, Nebraska and New York.
In addition to the monetary relief, LinkedIn agreed to: provide compliance training and distribute its policy prohibiting off-the-clock work to all nonexempt employees and their managers; meet with managers of current affected employees to remind them that overtime work must be recorded and paid for; and remind employees of LinkedIn’s policy prohibiting retaliation against any employee who raises concerns about workplace issues.
“Off the clock’ hours are all too common for the American worker. This practice harms workers, denies them the wages they have rightfully earned and takes away time with families,” said Susana Blanco, WHD’s district director in San Francisco, in a press release. “We urge all employers, large and small, to review their pay practices to ensure employees know their basic workplace rights and that the commitment to compliance works through all levels of the organization. The department is committed to protecting the rights of workers and leveling the playing field for all law-abiding employers.”
For more information on wage and hour compliance, visit Thompson’s HR Compliance Expert.