OSHA Provides Holiday Season Employment Information
For many companies, the holidays are a make-or-break time period for profitability. Employers could use some reminders on full-time, part-time, and seasonal employment, especially over the holiday season.
Employers have a responsibility to ensure their employees are given the benefits and securities they deserve. OSHA has made it easy for employers to remember this information over the holidays, when most companies (especially retailers) are in busy season.
OSHA’s Holiday Season Employment Information page answers employers’ most common questions and reminds them of important occupational information. It addresses questions like the difference between full- and part-time employment, when overtime hours apply, and when an employee’s hours of work can be changed.
It also reminds employers of the Fair Standards Act (FLSA), which requires employers to pay covered non-exempt employees at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked, and overtime pay for all hours worked over 40 in a work week.
The page answers questions regarding pay raises, weekend or night work, vacations pay, sick pay, holiday pay, breaks and meal periods, and double time. There’s even a section devoted just to the retail industry and its relation to FLSA.
There are other serious details to remember about employment laws, not just around the holidays. While many companies might hire young workers that have more free time or need more money, OSHA reminds employers of child labor laws on the page as well.
The Secretary of Labor also defines 17 Hazardous Occupations which are particularly hazardous for 16- and 17-year-old minors. Make sure you refresh yourself on the laws that apply to young workers under or over the age of 18. For example, many employers forget that workers under the age of 18 are not permitted to operate or unload a trash or cardboard compactor, operate or clean a meat slicer or dough mixer, or to drive on public roadways as a part of their employment outside of prescribed limits.
As you get ready for the holiday season, make sure you are familiar with all worker laws—especially when trying to meet peak consumer demand.