NOV 7, 2021

Question:

What is a workweek? Is it just our hours of operation? 

A workweek is not the same thing as your hours of operation. Rather, it defines the 168-hour period (i.e., seven 24-hour days) in which you track your non-exempt employees’ time to determine whether they’re owed any overtime premium pay.

The workweek can start and end whenever you would like (e.g., Saturday at midnight or Tuesday at noon), but it should change rarely, if ever. Changing it to avoid paying overtime would violate the Fair Labor Standards Act and could lead to wage complaints.

Your employees should know what the workweek is. We recommend posting it in a place they’ll see, like a wall in the office kitchen or in the employee handbook.

Answer from Kelley, PHR

Kelley has 6 years of experience in human resources focused in Payroll and Benefits Administration and Employee Relations for small businesses. She graduated from Columbia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Human Resources. In her free time, Kelley enjoys spending time outdoors in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains with family and running races.