Regulated at the Federal level by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and enforced by the Department of Labor (DOL,) employment and labor laws pertaining to individuals under the age of 18 can present a unique challenge for many organizations… particularly those in the service and retail sectors. (More information about FLSA rules can be found here at the Department of Labor site.)

Key FLSA provisions pertaining to minors include:

• Establishment of a minimal legal work age – 14 for most types of work, 18 for jobs where individuals would be working in a hazardous environment
• Restricts the number of  hours that can be worked by individuals under the age of 16

There are some exceptions – within certain agricultural activities, in-home activities such as babysitting, newspaper delivery, etc. – where exemptions do apply, but most employers need to ensure they are not scheduling minors to work during school hours, exceeding maximum time allotments or violating rules in any other way. These regulations are further nuanced by state and local rules which could add layers of complexity to rules governing restrictions.

The WorkForce Software Solution:

WorkForce Software’s EmpCenter family of solutions enables organizations to actively eliminate the risk of violating youth labor laws on two levels: a) ensuring that minors are not scheduled to work during unallowable time slots and b) providing the detailed reporting and analysis which would serve as evidence to support the organization’s adherence to all labor laws. Furthermore, WorkForce Software’s EmpCenter Fatigue Management offering will proactively monitor employee work hours and notify HR and supervisors before work hour limits are exceeded. As a result, your organization can avoid costly fines and the scheduling “fire drills” that are commonly associated with manual or commodity-class workforce management offerings.

Additional Resources:

• DOL Child Labor Rules Advisor http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/cl/screen2.asp
• DOL Child Labor Rules Overview http://www.dol.gov/whd/childlabor.htm
• DOL FLSA Overview http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/index.htm