Time and Wage Shaving: Holding Employers Accountable By Dan Atkerson on January 01, 2018

Time shaving refers to a practice of rounding down the time that an hourly employee worked in order to pay that employee less. The most simple example of this is paying a worker for only 8 hours of work even though they put in closer to 9 hours. This can lead to a number of issues if it happens consistently, including hours and hours of unpaid overtime.

Texas state law states that employers must pay their hourly employees for all hours that they work. Time shaving and other attempts to reduce an hourly employee's recorded hours are illegal. The team at our Allen, TX law firm can help you if your employer has been shaving your hours and cheating you and your co-workers out of pay.

Issues with Unpaid Overtime

Time shaving is bad enough on a day-to-day basis, but it gets worse if hours are consistently shaved each week. Employees may work more than 40 hours in a week, but if their employer is shaving hours on time cards or time sheets, the employee may only get paid for 40 hours of work. This means that an employee is being cheated out of overtime pay and the additional compensation they should receive for exceeding 40 hours in a week.

Intentionally Falsifying Certified Payroll Records

Some employees may intentionally lie about the hours an employee worked in order to reduce the size of that employee's paycheck. For example, a contracted employee may put in 40 hours of work in a week at a prevailing wage rate of $50 per hour. The employer lists the employee's hourly wage as $50 an hour, but might record the employee as only working 30 hours, shorting the worker's pay.

Altering Time Sheets and Time Cards

Tampering with or altering an employee's time sheet is one of the most notorious forms of time shaving. In these cases, an employee may work over 8 hours each day, but not quite 9 hours. The employer might go through the employee's time sheets and round down the employee's hours in order to avoid paying overtime, even if the employee is earning just a little bit extra each week.

Being Forced to Work Off the Clock

In addition to time shaving, employers may force their employees into performing various job duties off the clock. This is another form of forcing employees to do work without compensation, and shorting their paychecks in the process. While not time shaving per se, it is related to ways employers may round down hours or cause employees to work without receiving the pay that they are due.

How an Attorney Can Help You

All of these actions are illegal and violate state labor laws. If you suspect your employer has been shorting your wages by shaving hours, a lawyer can help hold them accountable for their actions.

We will go over your case and offer an honest assessment of what your employer may or may not be doing to short your paycheck. By working with an attorney, you can get the guidance you need to receive the wages you are due and ensure your employer follows Texas state labor laws.

Contact the Law Offices of Dan A. Atkerson

For more information about your legal options regarding unpaid wages, overtime disputes, and other issues with pay, be sure to contact our team of employment attorneys today. The lawyers at the Law Offices of Dan A. Atkerson are here to help you with your workplace issues and legal matters regarding your employer.