If you’re an entrepreneur, the notion of working for just a summer might seem laughable or downright alien, but as we get deeper into June another portion of the workforce will be available: teenagers and college kids.
And as you probably also know, there are laws regarding working teens, and the always sublime FindLaw blog has a post covering what the Fair Labor Standards Act stipulates. Not complying with these can cost you far more than you’ll save hiring these bushy-tailed, younger and more exuberant workers.
Rather than regurgitate that blog’s post, I think most people know not to have teenagers work in hazardous conditions, work too many hours and so on. The post also gets into complying with OSHA requirements to assure a safe working environment. It’s a two-way street, and “communicating risks to teen employees is different than communicating with adult employees.”
Another important point to make is about pay: “The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour… However, the FSLA allows for a lesser hourly wage of $4.25 for employees under the age of 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment unless state or local law requires a higher wage.”
To read more, check out FindLaw’s blog.
David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a columnist for EGM. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.
