Earlier this week, LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals, agreed to pay approximately $6 million to 359 current and former workers in New York, California, Illinois and Nebraska.  The U.S. Department of Labor conducted an investigation and found that LinkedIn violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to record and compensate workers for all hours worked.

  LinkedIn will pay over $3.3 million in overtime owed to workers and more than $2.5 million in damages.  As a part of its settlement, LinkedIn also agreed to train all employees that “off-the-clock-work” is prohibited for non-exempt workers.

Off-the-clock work continues to be an issue faced by workers all over the country.  Employers often will have employees continue to work, for example, through lunch breaks or after they punch out, without compensation.  This is a violation of federal and state wage and hour law.