When Every Day is “Blursday” – Wage and Hour Compliance for a Remote Workforce

Complying with the complex patchwork of wage and hour laws is difficult enough when managing a 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday, office-based workforce. Now that millions of workers are adjusting to a more permanent remote work arrangement, wage and hour compliance is even more challenging. During this session, our panel will guide you on how to define and track “hours worked” when work-from-home employees are constantly juggling work and personal priorities throughout the day. As plaintiffs’ lawyers encourage remote workers to sue for unreimbursed home office expenses (including computers, phones, internet service, office supplies, and even a portion of utilities and rent), we will consider how to structure a reasonable expense reimbursement program. We will consider how transitioning to work-from-home may have transformed the nature of previously exempt jobs and discuss the perils of common “self-help” remedies undertaken when the employment relationship ends and home office equipment is not returned.