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Can your boss make you work late without paying overtime?

No matter what industry you work in, whether it’s in an office, a factory or a store, there will be times when your boss comes to you and assigns you more work than you could possibly accomplish in a 40-hour workweek. As you stay at work later and later, you may begin to question the legality of what your boss is asking you to do. At what point does the law require your employer to give you extra compensation for the extra work you’re doing?

Indiana overtime laws

Indiana law is very specific when it comes to employers’ duties to their employees. Under the labor code, employers generally must compensate you for any time you work in excess of 40 hours a week. This compensation has to be at least 1.5 times your regular hourly rate.

There are certain exceptions to this rule. If you are in a profession where you work irregular hours, or if your job duties include certain responsibilities, you may qualify as an exempt employee, and labor laws may apply differently to you.

If you are a member of a union, and your union negotiated your work contract, it’s possible that you have different entitlements than the ones that the law establishes. Read your contract carefully, and make sure that you are receiving the compensation that your employer agreed to pay you.

Recovering unpaid overtime wages

If you recently found out that your employer was supposed to be paying your overtime wages and hasn’t been, you have recourses. The law gives you three years to bring legal action to recover unpaid wages you are entitled to.

No one enjoys working overtime. Don’t let your employer get more work hours out of you than they compensate you for. Make sure that your overtime work earns you the compensation you deserve for it.