On Monday we discussed the rare breed of employee which is totally exempt from overtime and minimum wage laws. The rest of the employees are “non-exempt,” meaning those laws do apply to them.

But a law wouldn’t be a law without an exception, would there?

Certain  agricultural workers are exempt from overtime — that is, the time and a half requirement after 40 hours of week which is standard for most non-exempt employees — but still must be paid minimum wage. You should make sure all of those employees have precise timecards, to stay in compliance with state and federal law. Note that someone is not agricultural just because she or he works with grapes — if you source your grapes from another vineyard, those folks who work with those grapes are not involved with the farming component under this section of the law.

Next week we’ll talk about meal periods and rest breaks — the bane of many an HR manager’s existence…get ready!