WATCH: Wage Theft-Know how your company might be cheating you

It’s no secret that our workplaces can lead to a lot of frustration, which involves long hours, having to constantly be reachable, and burning the midnight oil. Ranting about work is an international pastime for some. But it may come as a surprise that your company might be actually stealing from you.

Companies are governed by labour laws across the world. All countries have such laws, and a lot of companies flout them. The result is wage theft, which means that your company is not paying part or all of what you’re owed. How do companies do it? There’s something called overtime. That’s when you work beyond your regular shift, and put in extra hours at work or show up early for a meeting. According to the law, a person should be paid extra for overtime. Usually around double of an employee’s normal hourly wage. Unfortunately, not many get it, and that is called wage theft. Additionally, many employees get less breaks during work hours. They don’t get time for lunch, or go to the washroom. With this, companies again commit wage theft, as most countries have labour laws that mandate a break. For example, India has a law like this, under which companies give you a 30 minute break during work hours. Also, you cannot work for more than five hours straight. Many employees don’t even get paid off, and that is also an example of wage theft. There are many more like not reimbursing expenses or companies making random deductions. Wage theft comes in a lot of forms, and it leaves a huge unseen dent on the economy. For example, in the US, wage theft is estimated at about $50 billion every year. That’s more than the amount stolen in bank robberies and shoplifting and credit card fraud. Still, wage theft usually goes under the radar. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.