Chicago Police Officers' Overtime Lawsuit Has Wide Repercussions

Joel Rice was quoted in SHRM on September 9, 2015. The article “Chicago Police Officers’ Overtime Lawsuit Has Wide Repercussions” discussed how we can expect to see more lawsuits like the one police officers have brought against Chicago if the Department of Labor’s proposed overtime rule is finalized in its current form.

 “Nonexempt employees should be made to sign a policy about not using smartphones during off-hours, unless there is a specific exception for doing so,” such as answering phone calls for truly urgent business, added Joel. “The policy should indicate that there are potential disciplinary consequences, but they should still be paid.”

In addition, “Managers should be told that they face disciplinary consequences if they are communicating by text or e-mail with subordinates during off-hours,” Joel said. “This could include partial forfeiture of performance-based bonus money.”

To read the full article, please visit SHRM.