Teleworkers Protected Under Wage-and-Hour, Leave Laws, DOL Says

Employees who work from home retain the protections of federal wage-and-hour law and continue to accrue hours that go toward eligibility for job-protected family and medical leave, the US Labor Department said in a staff bulletin.

The Fair Labor Standards Act guarantees pay for all hours worked and short rest periods, and the right to take breaks to pump breast milk in a private place, Jessica Looman, principal deputy administrator for DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, said Thursday.

“Protections under the FLSA apply equally to employees who telework as to employees working at an office, factory, construction site, retail outlet, ...