Country Selector
Last updated on: May 23rd, 2022
Hours & Pay Regulations
Normal Working Hours
The Fair Labor Standards Act defines the workweek as a fixed and recurring period of 168 hours comprised of seven consecutive 24-hour periods that do not need to coincide with the calendar week. It is adjustable only if the change is designed to be permanent. Each week is considered on its own for purposes of calculating overtime. The hours of two or more weeks may not be averaged.
Under state law, it is unlawful to do any servile work or to work at any trade, manufacturing, or mechanical employment on Sunday, except for works of charity or necessity and other specified exemptions. Employers have the right to schedule the minimum and maximum number of hours that employees may or may not work. Employers can change employees’ hours without notice and may require employees to work overtime.
Overtime
There is no general provision in Oklahoma law for overtime pay, but most employees would qualify under federal law for payment at a rate of 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single week.
Breaks
Oklahoma labor laws require employers to provide employees under the age of sixteen (16) a 30-minute rest period when scheduled to work more than 5 consecutive hours. Moreover, employers must provide employees under sixteen (16) years of age a one (1) hour cumulative rest period for each eight (8) consecutive hours worked. Okla. Stat. Title 40, Section 75.
Oklahoma does not have any laws requiring an employer to provide a meal period or breaks to employees sixteen (16) years of age or older, thus the federal rule applies. The federal rule does not require an employer to provide either a meal (lunch) period or breaks. However, if an employer chooses to do so, breaks, usually of the type lasting less than twenty (20) minutes, must be paid. Meal or lunch periods (usually thirty (30) minutes or more) do not need to be paid, so long as the employee is free to do as they wish during the meal or lunch period.
Breast Feeding Laws
Oklahoma mothers have the right to breastfeed anywhere they have a right to be and shall be excused from jury duty upon request. Oklahoma breastfeeding mothers may use an unpaid break and meal times to breastfeed or express breast milk at work. Employers are urged to provide a private area (other than a toilet stall) for this purpose. Employers shall provide reasonable break time and a private place for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year.
Annual Leave
Vacation pay, sick pay, severance pay or other similar advantage is considered ‘wages’ only if the payment of such is:
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- Agreed upon between the employer and the employee; or
- It is provided by the employer to his employees in an established policy.
Special Leave
otherwise subject employees to any adverse employment actions as a result of jury service. Employees may not be required to use
vacation or sick leave for time spent completing jury service.
Every corporation, firm, association or individual hereinafter referred to as ’employer’ who, on election day, has a registered voter employed or in his service, shall grant the employee two (2) hours of paid time during the period when the election is open in which to vote, and if such employee be in the county or at such distance from the voting place that more than two (2) hours are required in which to attend such elections, then the employee shall be allowed a sufficient time in which to cast a ballot. No such employee shall be entitled to such time to vote unless the employee notifies orally or in writing an employer’s representative of the employee’s intention to be absent, on the day preceding the election day. Upon proof of voting, such employee shall not be subject to any loss of compensation or other penalties for such absence.
Such employer shall select the hours which such employees are to be allowed in which to attend such elections, and shall notify each of the employees which hours they are to have in which to vote. This shall not apply to an employee whose workday begins three (3) hours or more subsequent to the time of opening of the poll or ends three (3) hours or more prior to the time of closing the polls. The employer may change the work hours to allow such three (3) hours before the beginning of work or after the work hours.
and employees.
