MAJOR SYSTEM FAILURE: IT PROFESSIONALS AND WAGE THEFT

September 20, 2016

Christopher Anderson

IT professionals:  those magicians who can turn somebody’s idea into a software product or speaks in 1’s-and-0’s-ese enough to be able to fix computer problems that tech laypeople find any number of ways to mess up.

Whether titled a Chief Technology Officer (CTO), programmer/ coder,  IT technician, help desk support, computer science major intern, or something else, a lot of these folks we have represented have been project-oriented, and focused on solving problems or building solutions as per stated requirements.

And their unique talents have also been completely taken advantage of in the process.

Coming Out of Sleep Mode

They wake up one day—maybe when the job ends in one way or another, or maybe just out of the blue—and realize that all the hard work they’ve put in to accomplish these missions hasn’t been fairly compensated.

Does not compute.

We get it.  

Some IT professionals can be exempt from some of the wage payment laws. But by no means are all IT professionals exempt from all of the wage laws.  A lot of companies get it wrong—either because they don’t know better, or they just don’t care enough to figure it out.  Sometimes it is pretty egregious, like the IT professionals we’ve seen who just simply aren’t paid one or more of their owed paychecks. Other times it’s more nuanced—like when a company pays them on a salary basis and nothing extra for overtime when really they should be paid overtime.

Major system failure.

Reboot and React

Here are a couple of things to bear in mind:

• The title that an employer assigns to a position does NOT end the discussion of whether or not the person is entitled to overtime pay. An in-depth scan of the actual responsibilities and duties will determine that.
• The employer is legally and ethically required to pay appropriately and IN FULL for all compensation owed. That’s the law. Anything else is wage theft.

If these issues hit home, don’t let yourself be defrauded out of those extra 1’s and 0’s on your paycheck. You may love working with computers, but not enough to do it for free. Stealing your hard-earned overtime is no different than robbing you of anything else you’ve worked hard to obtain or achieve.

The attorneys at AndersonDodson know how to force quit your employer’s unacceptable remuneration ‘policies’ and make them compensate you fairly for all the hard work that has, until now, enriched them more than it has you. As an IT professional, you are a problem-solver by nature, and it’s time to put those skills to work protecting your right to fair wages. Call us today to learn more.