In 2023, Ephiphany Home Care @ Best, LLC was found to be in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for failure to compensate its employees for their overtime hours. The homecare owner, ShaRonda Moore, was ordered to pay a sum of $19,934 in back wages and additional damages to 7 employees after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
The employees were health aides who provided services to clients in the comfort of their own homes. As they were in-home workers, they were not compensated for the times that a client’s needs had interrupted their sleep. The DOL investigated and also found that Ephiphany had not combined the work hours of employees who worked in multiple locations. Besides that, Ephiphany had also mistakenly exempted a manager from overtime pay.
The court-mandated sum of $19,934 to be paid by Ephiphany included $9,967 of back wages to employees and an additional $9,967 in liquidated damages.
The court also ordered Ephiphany to pay for any of the employees’ legal fees.
Key lessons from this case:
- Home healthcare providers must accurately keep track of their employees’ hours to avoid failure to compensate for overtime.
- Mistakenly exempting employees from overtime pay can lead to legal repercussions. Employers should carefully review and classify employees’ job roles including managers to ensure compliance with overtime pay requirements.
- The case emphasizes the need to consider any unique circumstances related to the nature of the employee’s work.
- Employers who make repeated violations of FLSA are liable to face plenty of penalties, on top of back wages and damages. This should be a reminder for employers in Ohio to comply with the law to avoid such issues.
Learn more about Ohio Overtime Laws through our detailed guide.
