Unpaid wages are the wages that are not paid to the employees for work done. This is a major problem that is becoming a widespread concern among both small and large companies/ firms.
The most basic forms of wage theft include minimum wage violations and not paying for overtime work. Unfortunately, this issue is faced by a lot of workers and is causing financial strains for them.
This wage theft issue is more common in remote jobs. Bogus companies take work from the employees and then refuse to pay them back.
Types of Unpaid Wages
Unpaid wages issue spans across different industries and modes of work. Some of the major types of wage theft are listed below:
- Overtime Pay: Overtime is one of the most common forms of unpaid wages. Workers are working over the standard hours in a week and are not being paid at the required overtime rate.
- Minimum Wage Violations: Many small companies didn’t pay the minimum set wage to the workers. They hire teenagers, other nationals and laborers at the lowest possible wages and overload them with work
- Unpaid Commissions: In sales-based jobs, workers may be denied commissions they’ve made on sales after they’ve reached sales targets.
- Unpaid work on gazette holiday: Companies call their workers on officially declared holidays in case of overload work. In turn, they promise to pay extra for it. When salary day arrives, they make unnecessary deductions. So, they do not have to pay more.
- Unpaid Tips or Bonuses: In many cases ,workers aren’t paid the official tips and bonuses by the companies
Wage Theft Impact on Workers
Wage theft affects workers financially and emotionally. It shakes their confidence in trusting new firms. Due to this, they miss opportunities coming their way.
Workers in dire need of money work for extra hours and then they aren’t paid as promised. Companies intentionally or unintentionally become a reason for wage theft. This delves the already struggling worker into the financial burden.
The financial hardship affects the workers physically and mentally. You all are aware that one of the most predominant causes of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes is because of stress. This stress even leads to heart issues
With physical health, the stress of unpaid work affects the mental health of workers too. Financial pressures and constant worrying lead to the issues of depression and anxiety.
Lawyers for Unpaid Wages
Anomalies of unpaid wages result in the hiring of lawyers by employees. The wage theft issue is increasing day by day but every problem has a solution. Workers who are mistreated by not paying minimum wage or issues like off the clock work, unpaid commissions, and illegal deductions can be resolved by hiring an unpaid wages lawyer. But there are two things that you need to keep in mind before hiring lawyers. Firstly, hire someone who is well-versed in federal and state labor laws, ensuring that your case is handled with the proper expertise. Secondly, hire lawyers who are ready to assist you in every sort of wage theft.
