Examples of Employee Workplace Violations

Examples of Employee Workplace ViolationsExamples of Employee Workplace ViolationsEmployees and job seekers often have questions aboutovertime,unused vacation time,comp time, wages, and other employee rights issues.Employment lawcan be confusing, and it can be difficult to learn what your rights are and what you are entitled to. Because employment law is so complicated, employees often dont even know what their rights are regarding vacation, comp time, commissions, and more. In fact, some employees dont even know when an employer is violating a workplace law. Below is a list of the top twelve workplace violations that employees should be aware of. Read this list of violations to make sure you know your rights, and to ensure that you are being compensated fairly. Types of Workplace Violations Unpaid Compensable Time When your duties include putting on or taking off a uniform or personal protective equipment, performing a stock inventory, setting up and cleaning your work area, or attending a change-of-shift-meeting, youre entitled to your regular wages for the time you are engaged in those activities. Youre also entitled to compensation for any extra hours you work, such as working through yourlunch break, even if your employer didnt require you to work the extra time. behauptung are all consideredcompensable time. Your employer is legally required to pay you for all compensable time. Unpaid Vacation Time TheFair Labor Standards Act(FLSA) does bedrngnis require employers to pay employees for unused vacation time. Vacation and other time off from work are not regulated by the FLSA. However, some states requirepayment of unused vacation leave upon termination. Company policy is also a factor. If the employer does provide paid vacation, the time accrued (collected) becomes parte of the employees compensation as per company policy and state law. If you are fired or you quit, and you have vacation time accrued, you are entitled to payment for that time. Use It or Lose It Vacation Leave Some employers who provide vacation time adopt a use it or lose it policy, where they requireemployees who dont use their accumulated vacation by the end of the year to lose it. Use-it-or-lose-it policies are illegal in some states, including California, Montana, and Nebraska. Other states including North Dakota, Massachusetts, and Illinois require employers to give their staff a reasonable opportunity to use their vacation time before losing it. Some states, including New York and North Carolina, require employers to formally notify staff of any policies indicating that they will lose vacation if they dont use it. Unpaid Commission or Bonus Your compensation may includecommissionsor bonuses based on wertmiger zuwachs benchmarks, such as production or sales quotas. Bonuses and commissions are not regulated by the FLSA. Whether or not youre entitled to bonuses or commissions is determined by your agreement with your employer and the laws of the state where you work. However, if you have been promised a bonus or commission for achieving certain benchmarks, and you have achieved those, you are entitled to receive the commission or bonus promised by your employer. If your employer does not give you a promised bonus or commission, he or she is violating employment law. Misclassification of Employees as Exempt Workers Confusion aboutexemption rulesis common among both employers and employees. Despite what many people think, exemptions have nothing to do with your title or job description. Whether you receive asalary rather than an hourly wageis not necessarily enough to determine your status either. Be aware of your salary level and job duties, as they are the determining factors for your classification. Knowing whether or not you are exempt is important because exempt employeesare not entitled to receiveovertime payas guaranteed by the FLSA. Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors Independent contractors, by definition, are self-employed workers who are not covered by the tax and wage laws that apply to employees. This is because employers do not pay Social Security, Medicare orfederal unemploymentinsurance taxes on independent contractors. If you are not anindependent contractor, make sure your employer isnt classifying you as one. Independent contractors are not eligible for certain benefits such as medical, dental, and unemployment benefits. Unpaid or Improperly Calculated Overtime Pay Under the FLSA,overtime payrules are based on a 40-hour workweek. The FLSA states that all work over 40 hours in a workweek must be paid at a rate of one and one-half times the employees regular hourly rate.Non-exempt employeesmay be paid on a weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly basis, but overtime is always calculated by the Monday through Friday workweek. Make sure youre keeping track of your hours worked, and make sure that you are receiving properly calculated overtime pay. Comp Time Instead of Overtime P ay Compensatory time, commonly referred to as comp time, is generally paid time off granted instead of overtime wages. For example, rather than paying employees time-and-a-half for overtime during a busy season, a business may offer comp time to be taken at a later date. While comp time may be legal depending on the classification of the employee, it must always be paid at the same rateas overtime wages 150%. According to the FLSA, private employers can only give comp time if it is in the same pay period as the overtime work. There are also differences between comp time for exempt and non-exempt employees. Non-exempt employees must be paid overtime. Giving non-exempt employees comp time is a violation of employment law. Make sure you are receiving proper compensation for overtime work. False Reporting Many employers establish rules that overtime work will not be permitted or paid without prior authorization. Some choose to look the other way whennon-exempt employeeswork overtime and dont allow those hours to be reported. These policies dont comply with the FLSA. Employees must report their overtime hours. Minimum Wage Violations As of July 24, 2009, the federalnadir wagefor most covered employees is $7.25 per hour. Some exceptions include certain student workers and certain disabled workers, who may be paid at a lower rate. The minimum wage for young workers under the age of 20 is $4.25 per hour during their first 90 days of employment only (consecutive calendar days, not days of work). This applies to every job a person has until he or she turns 20. It does not just apply to his or her first job. Workers who receive tips on the job may be paid aminimum hourlyrate of $2.13, as long as the hourly rate plus tips received totals at least $7.25. Make sure you are receiving the proper minimum wage (at least) based on these requirements. Twenty-eight states and some cities have higher minimum wages so be sure to review the statutes in your location. For example, Ari zona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington all have established a minimum wage of $10 or more. Whistleblowing Awhistlebloweris someone who complains about illegal activity or activity in violation of company policy at anemployer. A whistleblower can be an employee, supplier, client, contractor, or anyone who may have insight into any illegal activity occurring at a business or organization. Those complaints are often voiced in public or reported to government or law enforcement agencies. Whistleblowers have often been fired by the company they work for. Whistleblowers that do retain their jobs may face blacklisting, demotions, overtime exemptions, benefit denial, threats, reassignment, or a reduction in pay. The Whistleblower Protection Act provides legal protection for federal employees in addition to the protective laws created by theSecurities and Exchange Commission(SEC) andOccupational Safety and Health Administrat ion(OSHA). Workplace Discrimination Unequal treatment or harassment based on race, gender, religion, age or nationality in the workplace or as part of the hiring process is expressly prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sexual harassment is one widespread form of workplace discrimination. While not all unfavorable treatment constitutes unlawful discrimination, any employee who believes that he or she has experienced workplace discrimination can file a complaint with the EEOC (The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Hereshow to file an employment discrimination claim. More Information on Workplace Violations If you think your employer is committing a workplace violation, your first step is to get as much information as you can. Check out the elaws Advisors- these are interactive tools provided by theUS Department of Labor. These can give you more information about a number of federal employment laws. Contact your State Department of Labor Office for information about employment laws impacting your state. Ask your Human Resources office or labor union for clarification of any employer policies as a first option to redress any grievances. Consult an employment lawyer if you are not satisfied with any resolution of issues surrounding your situation.

31 things you should remove from your resume immediately

31 things you should remove from your resume immediately31 things you should remove from your resume immediatelyEvery job application starts with a resume.Hiring managers gather resumes to determine when to interview promising candidates - and manyuse robots to eliminate bad ones before it even reaches a human being.Read more15 email etiquette rules every professional should knowIf you want to pass that test, you need to have the perfect resume to highlight your qualifications.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreHere are 31 things you shouldneverinclude on your resume.Jacquelyn Smith, Vivian Giang, and Natalie Walters contributed to earlier versions of this article.Dont put an objective on your resume.If you applied, its already obvious you want the job.The exception If youre in a unique situation, such as changing industries completely, it may be useful to include a brief summary. Leave irrelevant work experience outYes, you might have been the king of making milkshakes at the restaurant you worked for in high school. But unless you are planning on redeeming that title, its time to get rid of all that clutter.But as Alyssa Gelbard, career expert and founder of career-consulting firmResume Strategists, points out Past work experience that might bedrngnislage appear to be directly relevant to the job at hand might show another dimension, depth, ability, or skill that actually is relevant or applicable.Only include this experience if it really showcases additional skills that can translate to the lokalitt youre applying for.You dont need to disclose your relationship status in a professional resume.Dont include your marital status, religious preference, or Social Security number.This might have been the standard in the past, but all of this information is now illegal for your employer to ask from you, so theres no need to include it.Dont put your hobbies on your resume.Nobody cares.If its not relevant to the job youre applying for, its a waste of space and a waste of the companys time.Dont lie.ACareerBuilder survey asked 2,000 hiring managersfor memorable resume mistakes, and blatant lies were a popular choice. One candidate claimed to be the former CEO of the company to which he was applying, another claimed to be a edel Prize winner, and one more claimed he attended a college that didnt exist.Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, says these lies may be misguided attempts to compensate for lacking 10o% of the qualifications specified in the job posting.But Haefner says candidates should concentrate on the skills they can offer, rather than the skills they cant offer.Hiring managers are more forgiving than job seekers may think, Haefner explains. About 42% of employers surveyed said they would consider a candidate who met only three out of five key qualifications for a specific role.Putting your age on your resu me could be a hindrance.If you dont want to be discriminated against for a position because of your age, its time to remove your graduation date, saysCatherine Jewell, author of New Resume, New Career.Anothersurprising wayyour resume could give away your age double spaces after a period.Dont be wordy.When you use a 0.5-inch margin and eight-point font in an effort to get everything to fit on one page, this is an epic fail, says J.T. ODonnell, a career and workplace expert, founder of career-advice siteCareerealism.com, and author of Careerealism The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career.She recommends lots of white space and no more than a 0.8 margin.Dont disclose upcoming vacations on a resume.If you took time off to travel or raise a family, Gelbard doesnt recommend including that information on your resume. In some countries, it is acceptable to include this information, especially travel, but it is not appropriate to include that in the body of a resume in the US.Keep your refer ences separate.If your employers want to speak to your references, theyll ask you. Also, its better if you have a chance to tell your references ahead of time that a future employer might be calling.If you write references upon request at the bottom of your resume, youre merely wasting a valuable line, career coach Eli Amdur says.Remove inconsistent formatting.The format of your resume is just as important as its content, says Amanda Augustine, a career-advice expert and spokesperson forTopResume.She says the best format is the format that will make it easiest for the hiring manager to scan your resume and mucksmuschenstill be able to pick out your key qualifications and career goals.Once you pick a format, stick with it. If you write the day, month, and year for one date, then use that same format throughout the rest of the resume.Dont say the word IYour resume shouldnt include the words I, me, she, or my, says Tina Nicolai, executive career coach and founder ofResume Writers Ink.D ont write your resume in the third or first person. Its understood that everything on your resume is about you and your experiences.Refrain from using the present tense to talk about a past job.Never describe past work experience using the present tense. Only your current job should be written in the present tense, Gelbard says.Dont use a less-than-professional email address.If you still use an old email address, like BeerLover123gmail.com or CuteChick4lifeyahoo.com, its time to pick a new one.It only takes a minute or two, and its free.You dont need to put phone before listing your cell number.Amdur says there is no reason to put the word phone in front of the actual number.Its pretty silly. They know its your phone number. The same rule applies to email.Your resume is not the place for headers, footers, tables, images, or charts.These fancy embeddings will have hiring managers thinking, Could you not?While a well-formatted header and footer may look professional, and some cool tab les, images, or charts may boost your credibility, they also confuse the applicant-tracking ordnungsprinzips that companies use nowadays,Augustine tells Business Insider.The system will react by scrambling up your resume and spitting out a poorly formatted one that may no longer include your header or charts. Even if you were an ideal candidate for the position, now the hiring manager has no way to contact you for an interview.Dont include your bosss name on yourresume.Dont include your boss name on yourresume unless youre OK with your potential employer contacting him or her. Even then, Gelbard says the only reason your boss name should be on your rsum is if the person is someone noteworthy, and if it would be really impressive.Leave out company-specific jargon.Companies often have their own internal names for things like customized software, technologies, and processes that are only known within that organization and not by those who work outside of it, Gelbard says. Be sure to ex clude terms on your rsum that are known only to one specific organization.Social-media handles that are not related to the targeted position should be kept off your rsum.Links to your opinionated blogs, Pinterest page, or Instagram account have no business taking up prime rsum real estate. Candidates who tend to think their personal social media sites are valuable are putting themselves at risk of landing in the no pile, Nicolai says.But youshouldlist relevant URLs, such as your LinkedIn page or any others that are professional and directly related to the position you are trying to acquire, she says.You dont need more than 15 years of experience.When you start including jobs from before 2000, you start to lose the hiring managers interest.Your most relevant experience should be from the past 15 years, so hiring managers only need to see that,Augustine says.On the same note, never include dates on education and certifications that are older than 15 years.The rsum is not the place to disclose salary information.Some people include past hourly rates for jobs they held in college, Nicolai says. This information is completely unnecessary and may send the wrong message.Amy Hoover, president ofTalent Zoo, says you also shouldnt address your desired salary in a rsum. This document is intended to showcase your professional experience and skills. Salary comes later in the interview process.Dont use an old-fashioned font.Dont use Times New Roman and serif fonts, as theyre outdated and old-fashioned, Hoover says. Use a standard, sans-serif font like Arial.Also, be aware of the font size, she says. Your goal should be to make it look nice and sleek - but also easy to read.Dont use fonts that are hard to read.Curly-tailed fonts are also a turn-off, according to ODonnell. People try to make their rsum look classier with a fancy font, but studies show they are harder to read and the recruiter absorbs less about you.Try not to use buzzwords.CareerBuilder asked2,201 US hiring managers What rsum terms are the biggest turnoffs? They cited words and phrases such as, best of breed, go-getter, think outside the box, synergy, and people pleaser.Terms employersdolike to see on rsums include achieved, managed, resolved, and launched - but only if theyre used in moderation.Dont reveal your reasons for leaving your current company.Candidates often think, If I explain why I left the position on my rsum, maybe my chances will improve.Wrong, Nicolai says. Listing why you left is irrelevant on your rsum. Its not the time or place to bring up transitions from one company to the next.Use your interview to address this.Dont add your GPA.Once youre out of school, your grades arent so relevant.If youre a new college graduate and your GPA was a 3.8 or higher - its OK to leave it. But, if youre more than three years out of school, or if your GPA was lower than a 3.8, ditch it.You dont need to include an explanation of why you want the job.Thats what the cover letter and in terviews are forYour rsum is not the place to start explaining why youd be a great fit or why you want the job. Your skills and qualifications should be able to do that for you - and if they dont, then youre rsum is either in bad shape, or this isnt the right job for you.Keep photos of yourself off your rsum.This may become the norm at some point in the future, but its just weird - and tacky and distracting - for now.The rsum is the place for facts, not opinions.Dont try to sell yourself by using all sorts of subjective words to describe yourself, ODonnell says. Im an excellent communicator or highly organized and motivated are opinions of yourself and not necessarily the truth. Recruiters want facts only. Theyll decide if you are those things after they meet you, she says.Dont include short-term employment.Avoid including a job on your rsum if you only held the position for a short period of time, Gelbard says. You should especially avoid including jobs you were let go from or d idnt like.Remove any unnecessarily fancy job titles.Being specific with your job title, and use the same description an employer would type, Ian Siegel, co-founder, and CEO of the employment marketplaceZipRecruitertoldBusiness Insider.Dont say youre a coding ninja - say youre a Python engineer, Siegel said.Delete your laundry list of daily tasks.Regurgitating what you do all day without describing the value you add to companies does not impress hiring managers, Celeste Joy Diaz, a recruiting manager at Amazon, toldBusiness Insider.Instead, Diaz suggests specifying with numbers and data how you moved your company forward. Using the winning phrase I created a solution for X amount of customers and it saved X amount of money, using X skill can help applicants stand out, Diaz said.This article first appeared on Business Insider.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngstes Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

The Lifestyle of Private Equity Professionals

The Lifestyle of Private Equity ProfessionalsThe Lifestyle of Private Equity ProfessionalsOnce youve landed a job with a private equity firm, you can expect to experience some of the most interesting, fast-paced work in finance. The pay and benefits will be commensurate with this kind of work- but so will the pressure. Typically, private equity investmentsare high-stakes ventures if youre helping to manage a billion-dollar stake in a major company, youll be held responsible for the outcome.Entry-level lifestylesAt the analyst and associate levels, or in any support role, you can expect long hours- 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. wouldnt be seen as onerous. On the other hand, unless theres something big pending, your weekends and vacation time can be your own. That said, if youre supporting the dealmakers, and theyre deep in negotiations with a major publicly traded company, youll be expected to be right there with them on a Saturday night at 1030 p.m.Executive lifestlyesIn more senior positions, yo ur day-to-day hours can actually be much more reasonable- 830 a.m. to 6 p.m. in some cases- but youll also find the line between work and the rest of your life to blur considerably. Some of your meals will be spent working, while evening conference calls and the occasional late-night panic email will eat into what you once may have considered your private life. Travel will pick up considerably as well, no matter your role. You may have to fly out to Sacramento to convince CalPERS to invest in your fund, or head to Atlanta to finish a buyout deal, or tour a portfolio companys facility in China looking for ways to improve productivity and cut costs.Its bedrngnis like you wont be able to take vacations, but since youll still be held responsible for outcomes in your absence, most high-level workers in private equity tend to schedule vacations carefully. If youre in major negotiations for a deal right around Christmas, you may not be able to get away for the holiday. Youd be wise to sche dule your summer tripafteryour portfolio companys annual report to the funds board of directors.For most high-level private equity employees, this lifestyle is par for the course. If youve worked on Wall Street in other capacities, youre likely used to the trade-off. But if youre just starting out and are eying a private equity career, bear in mind that your career can quickly become its own lifestyle- especially if youre successfulPay and benefitsWith billions of dollars at stake in each transaction, private equity firms are more than willing to pay for talent- so long as that talent executes properly. You can generally expect salaries, zugabees, and benefits to be at the high end of Wall Street pay scales. Its not quite what hedge fund managers make, but its generally on par with the top investment banking salaries.In the few entry-level positions available at private equity firms, you can expect to make a base salary of $60,000 to $75,000 as an undergraduate degree holder, and ro ughly $125,000 as a newly minted MBA holder. There are bonuses on top of that as well. Some firms have separate personal and companywide bonuses, while others combine them into one bonus. Typically, in your first few years you can earn 25 to 35 percent of your base salary in bonus money.Once youve grown out of these support roles, or if youre coming into a private equity firm with more experience, the base salary grows geometrically while your bonus money grows exponentially. Those who are in direct-action or supervisory roles can expect base salaries ranging from $250,000 to $1 million or more, depending on how closely they work with fund investors, dealmakers, or the portfolio companies. Their bonuses depend greatly on how well they manage their work. Did the dealmaker get the best terms for the fund? Did the fund raiser bring above-quota money into the fund for the year? Did the portfolio company manager cut costs and boost margins above projections? The bonus money for private e quity professionals at the vice president, principal, or managing director levels can be anywhere from two to 10 times their base salaries.Big benefitsOf course, like most Wall Street firms, private equity employers generally dont skimp on other benefits. Medical, dental, and various insurance plans are generally very good. Some firms will also set aside up to 20 percent of base salary in a retirement fund- thats on top of the base salary, not a cut into it. The retirement fund can, in many cases, be invested in the companys private equity funds, giving workers an additional stake in their companys success. Indeed, its worth noting that at the managing director level, most companies will take a cut of your bonus money and roll it into the fund for you. Given the outsized returns and personal stake in the firms success, few complain.The above was adapted from the newVault Career Guide to Private Equity.Follow us onTwitter.Read MorePluses and Minuses of Working in Private EquityHow to Land a Private Equity Job11 Interview Questions Private Equity Firms Ask (and How to Answer Them)