There are a lot of reasons why you should never work off the clock without payment for the time you work. All of these reasons are about protecting you from working without pay. A lot of people do work hours including overtime without compensation. But, these people should not include you.  Why would you work time and not get paid for it?

You should never agree to unpaid overtime or to work off the clock. It’s illegal, and not fair to you or your fellow employees.

Why You Should Never Work Off the Clock

It might seem common to see people working long after the office is closed, answering emails, or taking stacks of files home to work on without being clocked in and thus without payment. Again, working off the clock benefits only the employer who receives free labor.

It’s Illegal

The biggest reason why you should never work off the clock is that it is against the law. Unless you are exempt, your employer is getting away with wage theft by not paying you for all time you and other employees work. Not paying for work time including overtime saves your employer money at your expense.

Employers who illegally work employees of the clock do not pass these savings on to their employees. It’s wage theft and it’s the employers who keep that money for themselves. You are entitled to that money so don’t allow them to steal it from you.

You Set a Bad Example

If you agree to work off the clock once, your employer will assume it’s okay to make you do it all the time. This can be difficult for you to escape. The employer will expect you to work for free all the time.

Plus, if you are doing it because you believe it will curry favor with the boss, you really won’t. Your boss won’t respect you and neither will your co-workers. You and your fellow co-workers need the payment from all-time your work.

Why You Should Never Work Off the Clock: Unrealistic Expectations

Another good reason why you should never work off the clock is that it will throw off the reality of work getting finished. The employer will expect you and your co-workers to get more work done at less cost because your employer is using free labor.

There may be cutbacks and there will be pressure on everyone to keep working under those standards even though they are not realistic. This can make it difficult for everyone.

You Deserve To Be Paid

You are missing out on a lot of money your employer legally owes you if you are working off the clock because you want to make your boss happy or you feel you can’t say no.

A very good reason why you should never work off the clock is that the wage laws require you to be paid for all the work you do and the hours you work. Why let your employer keep all that money back when you could use it for your own life and family?

It’s Difficult To Get Back On Your Own

If you work off the clock and then decide you no longer want to, it can be very difficult to recover that money on your own. Your employer may decide to get someone else to work for free. Plus, you may have a very hard time trying to get all those hours back.

You will likely need to fight to get that money back, as your employer will assume you were fine with it. You may likely need to hire an employment lawyer and file a wage claim for unpaid wages including overtime.

Why You Should Never Work Off the Clock

You should never work off the clock because it is illegal, because your employer is taking advantage of you, and because it isn’t doing you any favors. You should stop working off the clock if you are currently doing so.  You should talk to an employment lawyer if you have worked off the clock in the last three years.

Contact us here at Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC if you have worked off the clock or need any other help in recovering your unpaid wages.