According to recent analyses by national employment law firms, the Department of Labor (DOL) is increasing its enforcement efforts in inspecting for potential violations of the wage and hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The results indicate that investigators for the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) are being instructed to seek civil penalties even in a first investigation of a work site, which is counter to the previous trend of only seeking penalties on a second or third inspection.
In addition, there are 50 percent more WHD investigators now than in 2008, with future increases on the horizon -– in its 2013 budget request, the DOL is seeking an additional 630 full-time investigators to further support its enforcement efforts.
This request for additional support may be due to the fact that an estimated 70 percent or more of employers are not in full compliance with the FLSA.
Employers, make sure your businesses are in full compliance with the provisions of the FLSA to avoid scrutiny and potential fines by the DOL. Get a copy of Personnel Concepts' FLSA Compliance Program today.