Our central blog focus this week is on what one media article zeroing in on wage-and-hour compliance issues calls “hot topics” in that area.
Any subject matter deemed as such is obviously a reciprocal consideration, that is, a mutual concern of both employers and employees. Because this blog writes on important employment law matters in California and nationally from an employee perspective, we will take a look at the above-noted issues from the vantage point of how they affect workers.
One focal point in a discussion on key wage-and-hour considerations centers on uniforms, specifically, who should be paying for them and the upkeep they require.
At first blush, that might seem to be a somewhat trivial concern. After all, and in the context of an employee’s take-home pay, how much money is expended on a few company uniforms?
Truth be told, the costs related to uniform purchases and related maintenance can be substantially — even exorbitantly — high. It is certainly not hard to appreciate how much out-of-pocket cash an employee tasked with purchasing his or her company clothing must cough up to satisfy employers. Some jobs require multiple uniforms, with clothing adjustments mandated as the seasons change. With laundering costs tacked on, the overall uniform-related costs can be prohibitively high.
Employees with questions or concerns regarding uniform costs might reasonably want to speak with a proven employment law attorney, especially in instances where their required outlays on clothing are driving their pay downward toward minimum wage or even a level beneath that threshold.
Two other employment issues receiving considerable scrutiny currently relate to the use of unpaid interns and some general considerations concerning minimum wage requirements. We will take a look at those matters in our next blog post.