Time-shaving is an actionable form of wage theft

On Behalf of | Apr 28, 2022 | Wage And Hour Claims

A significant portion of a company’s operational budget goes to staffing expenses. Some entities aim to maximize profits by reducing the amount of staff on board, minimizing the number of hours worked or paying workers as little as possible, among others.

Minimizing staff is a legal practice, but reducing a worker’s pay is not. Some companies engage in what’s referred to as “time-shaving” as a way to limit how much they pay their hourly employees.

Fortunately, workers affected by time-shaving practices may have grounds to bring a wage claim against the employer. 

What is time-shaving?

Time-shaving is a way for companies to reduce what they pay out in wages.

It is the process of shaving time off the total amount an employee works. A company, for example, may opt to pay a worker for 8 hours worked when they actually clocked in or entered 8.45 hours on their timecard. This may not seem like a big deal – after all it’s only a small amount of time worked. But it is still illegal and, over the course of a year, those handful of minutes can add up to an entire day’s worth of wages for an employee.

Employees should always keep records of when they clock in and out. If they notice any discrepancy in their paycheck, they should address the matter to their employer or human resources department. If the issue is not resolved, employees should know that legal guidance is available to help them. A qualified employment law attorney will know the law and an employee’s rights.

 

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