Can an employer change your hours daily without notice?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can an employer change your hours daily without notice?
In an effort to get out of paying overtime, but still needing work to get done
after hours, can an employer make an employee stay later than their originally
scheduled hours, but then tell them to take a longer lunch break the next day?
Asked on April 25, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, Oregon
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
This is absolutley legal. A company can set the terms of employment much as it sees fit or deems appropriate. This includes juggling employee hours to keep down ovetime . Thisis true unless there exits company policy or an applicable union agreement or employment contract to the contrary. Also, such action must not constitute some form of lehally actionable discrimination.
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Yes, employers have freedom to change employee hours at will, without prior notice (as long as there is no written employment agreement setting or specifying hours). Your employer can have you stay late one day--past your ordinary or regular hours--and then reduce your hours the next day to keep your total hours in check and avoid paying overtime; this is completely legal.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.