LinkedIn Pays Nearly $6 Million After US Labor Department Investigation

After being investigated by the US Labor Department for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, LinkedIn has been forced to pay out nearly $6 million in damages and unpaid overtime to 359 employees.

The investigation revealed violations of the overtime and record-keeping parts of the Fair Labor Standards Act, affecting employees in California, Illinois, Nebraska and New York. As part of the penalties handed to LinkedIn, the company also agreed to take steps within its company to prevent further violations from occurring.

The full extent of the violations included a failure to record and pay for all hours employees were working in a given week. Going forward, LinkedIn will operate under a compliance agreement with the US Labor Department that ensures the company will provide compliance training and make sure all non-exempt employees have copies of LinkedIn’s overtime work policy. The company will also meet with managers of employees that have been affected by the violations and hand out reminders to give payment for all overtime work. Furthermore, the company will remind employees that LinkedIn has a policy that prohibits any retaliation for employees acting as whistleblowers.

These types of violations are surprisingly common in workplaces of all types across the country, but many employees either feel that these standards are normal or are simply afraid of tipping off authorities about overtime violations.

If you face a scenario like this in your workplace, it’s important that you speak with a Dallas whistleblower attorney as soon as possible to ensure that the company will follow labor laws. Whistleblowers are protected under the SEC and could be eligible to receive settlement money in their case.