In a call center, the first principal activity may be booting up a computer at the start of the day. In general, an employee’s hours worked begin from the “first principal activity of the workday” and end with the “last principal activity of the workday”. But the FLSA requires that all nonexempt employees be compensated fully for their hours of labor. Common Wage Violationsīy far the most common type of wage theft affecting call center workers is when employers fail to pay their employees for all hours worked.
To learn more about salaried workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act, follow this link. Most call center workers will be entitled to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s guarantees: a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and overtime pay at one-and-a-half a worker’s “regular rate” for any hours worked over 40 in a given workweek. For a look at jobs that may be exempt from the FLSA’s protections, click here.Įven employees who make a salary may be protected by the FLSA and entitled to overtime wages. Is My Job Eligible For Minimum Wage & Overtime Pay Under The FLSA? So does using the Internet or United States Mail, as well as ordering products from companies based out-of-state. Making calls to other states, as well as receiving calls from other states, counts as “interstate commerce” under the FLSA. If your company makes less than $500,000 annually, but you individually engage in interstate commerce, you’re probably covered. Some employees working for smaller companies may still be eligible for the FLSA’s wage and hour protections. Many of these facilities are owned and operated by major banks, insurance companies, and health insurers: While many “customer management” jobs have been sent overseas, the US is still home to thousands of domestic call centers. If your employer has two or more employees and makes $500,000 or more in sales or applicable business, the company is considered an “enterprise” and covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. So how do you know if you’re eligible? Is My Call Center Covered By The FLSA? If your company is covered by the Act, and you’re an eligible employee, the FLSA entitles you to at least $7.25 per hour and overtime wages for any hours worked over 40 in a week. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was designed to protect low-wage workers like you. And under Federal Law, you’re guaranteed that. Employers, for their part, ceaselessly monitor their workers’ interactions in the hope of optimizing the process further.īut through all this, one thing remains true: you deserve a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Not only are telemarketers unfairly maligned in modern society, many call center employees are forced to work in cramped quarters, and expected to maintain a beaming smile in the face of angry, and sometimes abusive, callers. What Is A Call Center?Īccording to the US Department of Labor, “a call center is a central customer service operation where agents (often called customer care specialists or customer service representatives) handle telephone calls for their company or on behalf of a client.”ĭespite the public’s generally unfavorable opinion of telemarketers, tech support specialists, hotel booking agents and other call center employees, these jobs are anything but easy. Settlement after settlement has demonstrated that when call center employees become the victims of wage theft, civil lawsuits can be the solution. But those lawsuits also indicate a possibility, and hope. If a wave of recent FLSA violation lawsuits are any indication, call center workers are routinely robbed by their employers. Call Center Employees: Common Wage & Hour FLSA ViolationsĬall center employees are among the most likely to be cheated out of their hard-earned compensation by wage theft. There’s a whole class of people who haven’t been allowed to share in the benefits promised by outsourcing customer service: the very workers who make it possible. In recent years, many large corporations have turned to call centers to handle ordering, customer service, product support and just about anything that can be done over the phone.īut the extreme gains in productivity and profit that call centers offer to companies big and small haven’t trickled down. Since the 1960s, call centers have streamlined customer service in numerous industries. Are Undocumented Workers Entitled To Overtime?.Mandatory Overtime For Nurses – Is It Legal?.Can I Sue My Employer For Not Paying Me Correctly?.Can I Sue My Employer For Unpaid Wages?.Overtime & Minimum Wage Laws 2018: State By State.
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