E-technology leaves employees feeling exploited

SAN FRANCISCO – Advances in communication technology have left employees feeling exploited by employers. According to an Employment Law Alliance America At Work survey more Americans who are not in management positions are taking their work home. “There may be no bigger issue in the American workplace, especially if you are an employer with work locations in several states,” said ELA CEO Stephen J. Hirschfeld, Esq. “Employers just can’t say to non-exempt employees that they are expected to be on call around the clock but pay them for only the eight hours they work in an office.” The national poll of 1,000 men and women conducted by Reed Haldy McIntosh & Associates focused on non-exempt employees whose work hours are legally regulated and who are entitled to overtime compensation. Here is a look at some of the findings: * 49% of employees said they spend at least three hours a week conducting work-related activities other than responding to e-mails, voice mails, or pagers, at home or away from the office. * Among non-exempt workers, 27% said they were paid for their time while 31% said they were totally uncompensated. * 31% said they did not ask for either compensation or comp time in return for that extra time worked. * 11% said they were not directly compensated but were given extra time off, or some other benefit for that extra time worked. * 21% of non-exempt workers said they believe that their employer is “taking advantage” of them through their current compensation policies relating to work performed outside the regular workplace. * 47% of non-exempt employees putting in 10 or more extra hours per week feel taken advantage of, compared to only 11% of those working three to 10 hours outside of their regular schedule and 14% of those working less than three extra hours. * 52% of non-exempt workers who do not ask to be compensated for their overtime feel taken advantage of compared to those who are compensated in some way (30%) or not compensated at all (19%), suggesting that it is fear rather than dedication that prevents many of these workers from asking for their due.