A Short Refresher On Discrete Legal Issues During Natural Disasters
As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In that spirit, what follows are certain pay and leave issues employers may confront during times of natural disaster – all of which are better to be thought about ahead of time, to the extent possible, instead of "at the moment" once a natural disaster strikes. Pay Issues Non-Exempt Employees The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay non-exempt employees only for hours actually worked . Non-exempt employees typically (although not always) are paid an hourly rate for their work. Therefore, in those situations, non-exempt employees do not have to be paid for any hours that they do not work, whether or not due to the natural disaster. However, if a non-exempt employee is instead provided with a guaranteed salary, the employee must be paid their full weekly salary for any week during which ANY work is performed for the employer (with a few limited exceptions ty...