Hospital and Home Healthcare Employees Wage & Hour Violations Investigation
Recent media coverage on efforts to raise the minimum wage has also brought to light the prevalent wage and hour violations within the hospital and home health care industries. Employees in these positions are often required to work long hours without receiving all wages due to them, including overtime. Most unpaid work for hourly hospital employees includes locating and changing into hospital-required uniforms or scrubs, caring for patients, cleaning rooms and other hospital areas, disposing of medical waste, restocking supplies, and completing required paperwork. In Brooks vs. Healthone of Denver, Inc., Case No. 1:14-cv-00042, D. Co, 1/7/14, an hourly hospital employee brought claims for unpaid time spent locating and changing into their hospital required scrubs before clocking in for shifts and changing out of those scrubs after clocking out at the end of the day.
Similarly, hourly home health care workers may be performing tasks off-the-clock which would be compensable under state and federal wage laws. Such tasks can include bathing clients, providing them with toileting and incontinence care, undressing and dressing clients, doing laundry for clients, cleaning dishes, clothing and linens, providing clients with medication reminders, providing for clients’ personal and oral hygiene, preparing meals and snacks for clients, picking up prescriptions for clients, doing grocery and other shopping for clients, and providing clients with companionship as well as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and end of life care. In Scott vs. Home Instead, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:14-cv-00833, D. Co., 3/21/14, a personal care attendant alleged that many of the required tasks above were performed off-the-clock, and thus the attendant did not receive all wages due, including overtime.
If you are currently working as an hourly employee at a hospital or as a home healthcare employee, and you have experienced uncompensated off-the-clock work, please contact our firm immediately.
You can contact us by completing the form on this page or by calling us at (816)714-7100. Please reference that you are contacting us regarding the Hospital and Home Healthcare Employee Investigation.
