LinkedIn to Pay Nearly $6M in Unpaid Overtime Wages and Damages
A total of 359 employees will receive money after the U.S. Labor Department investigation.
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that LinkedIn was in violation of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. DOL announced LinkedIn Corp. has agreed to pay $3,346,195 in overtime back wages, as well as $2,508,646 in liquidated damages, to 359 former and current employees working at company branches in California, Illinois, Nebraska, and New York.
"This company has shown a great deal of integrity by fully cooperating with investigators and stepping to up to the plate without hesitation to help make workers whole," said Dr. David Weil, administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. "We are particularly pleased that LinkedIn also has committed to take positive and practical steps towards securing future compliance."
Investigators found that LinkedIn failed to record, account, and pay for all hours worked in a workweek. In addition to paying back wages and liquidated damages, LinkedIn entered into an enhanced compliance agreement with the department that includes agreeing to: provide compliance training and distribute its policy prohibiting off-the-clock work to all non-exempt 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, district director for the division in San Francisco. "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."