As an hourly worker, you deserve compensation for your time on the job. You may not have a promise of a specific number of hours each week, which can make budgeting to pay your bills more difficult. However, at the very least, you should be able to depend on receiving payment for all of the work you do.
You clock in and out of each shift so that your employer can compensate you appropriately for the time you have worked. Companies constantly try to minimize how much they have to pay and maximize what they can demand of workers. Trying to force staff members into performing uncompensated work off the clock is a common tactic companies use.
Can your employer demand that you clock out and then continue working?
Your employers should not demand uncompensated labor
Regardless of what kind of job you do, you should be able to count on pay from the moment you arrive at work and start performing your job until the moment you finish your responsibilities.
Sometimes, your employer might request that you do something extra, like bringing a potted plant inside right before you leave for the night after you have already clocked out.
Performing such a task occasionally, provided it only takes a moment or two, wouldn’t necessarily be considered a violation of your wage rights, provided you are happy to do it. However, if it takes multiple minutes and becomes a routine part of your job responsibilities, having to do that work off the clock could be seen as wage theft. Fighting back with a wage claim can help you get the pay that you deserve.