U.S. Department of Labor Announces New Compliance Assistance Tool

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of an enhanced electronic version of the Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This new online version of one of the Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) most popular publications will assist American employers and workers with a simple, easy-to-follow resource that provides basic WHD information, as well as links to other resources.

WHD established this electronic guide as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize compliance assistance materials for employers and workers, and to provide easily accessible, plain-language information that will guide them to compliance. This tool offers a new design - reformatted for laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices - and provides numerous additional resources and related information, including plain-language videos. It provides immediate access to materials employers frequently need, and allows users to tailor their experience by exploring available information at whatever level of detail they choose. This tool, in conjunction with worker.gov, employer.gov, and other recently released online tools, will ensure greater understanding of federal labor laws and regulations.

“The Wage and Hour Division believes in providing employers all the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and comply with the law,” said Acting Administrator Keith Sonderling. “We are committed to protecting the American worker, and leveling the playing field for job creators who abide by the law. Compliance assistance and vigorous enforcement go hand-in-hand.”

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the Division.

OCI is part of the Department of Labor’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, and fosters a compliance assistance culture within the Department designed to complement its ongoing enforcement efforts. This Office focuses on helping enforcement agencies more effectively use online resources to deliver information and compliance assistance to help the American people. In August 2018, OCI launched Worker.gov and Employer.gov to provide information about workers’ rights and the responsibilities of job creators toward their workers.