6 ms·

Full work day interviews where you do actual work for the company are technically illegal. If you want to mess with them, you can file a suit in small claims c

Full work day interviews where you do actual work for the company are technically illegal. If you want to mess with them, you can file a suit in small claims court for whatever hourly rate you feel like, and it'll be a huge pain in the ass unless they settle and pay you quickly :)

mattzito 12y ago
Do you have any documentation or links on this? I am in no way doubting you, but this is such a common occurrence I hear about that I'd like to have a few links in my pocket to give people who either a) think this is a good idea, or b) have to experience this. The other angle is understanding at which point an interview turns into an illegal full-day interview with actual work.
- ne0n 12y ago
  The point where an interview becomes illegal is when you do actual work. In an interview, they should run through mock scenarios to gauge if it will be a good fit. You do actual work after they hire you. Companies pay for training employees for a reason. Here's a flowchart for if you internship is illegal. http://www.moneysideoflife.com/illegal-internship-flowchart/ http://www.moneysideoflife.com/illegal-internship-flowchart/ It's pretty much exactly the same in this scenario. Included in there, is a link to the Labor Department's regulations on the subject.
why-el 12y ago
I am in the process of agreeing to a similar arrangement but it is payed and can go on while I interview with other companies. Win win and the best part is that everything is transparent between me and the startup. This is in Germany.
mahyarm 12y ago
For visa people, you can't really get paid either when you do interviews. You usually don't know if it's 'actual work' or not before hand.
danielweber 12y ago
Call the New York Department of Labor at 1-888-4NYSDOL (469-7365).
lquist 12y ago
It's also illegal to require employees to use their own devices and not compensate them for that use.
- codezero 12y ago
  Is that actually illegal? I think it's really crappy, and no company should do it, but I'd love to see where this is codified as illegal.
  - vonklaus 12y ago
    it is unclear. I read an article yesterday saying California had just passed legislation to compensate for it. Obviously, it is pretty unethical, especially if you spend the majority of the day on the phone.
    - codezero 12y ago
      Yep, agree, very unethical, very hostile. Where did you read about the legislation passed?
      - vonklaus 12y ago
        Hacker News I beleive. I will find a link and post in a few minutes. One link here: http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/338164/employment+litigation+tribunals/California+Appellate+Court+Tells+Employers+to+Pay+Part+of+Employees+Cell+Phone+Bills+or+Face+Class+Action+Liability http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/338164/employment+litig... Edit 2: It was actually on Reddit. This is the link to Reddit commenting on the computer world article focusing on the same ruling at the appellate level: http://www.reddit.com/r/law/comments/2f55j2/california_cellphone_ruling_poses_big/ http://www.reddit.com/r/law/comments/2f55j2/california_cellp...
        codezero 12y ago
        Thanks a bunch, great stuff.

mattzito 12y ago

Do you have any documentation or links on this? I am in no way doubting you, but this is such a common occurrence I hear about that I'd like to have a few links in my pocket to give people who either a) think this is a good idea, or b) have to experience this. The other angle is understanding at which point an interview turns into an illegal full-day interview with actual work.

ne0n 12y ago
The point where an interview becomes illegal is when you do actual work. In an interview, they should run through mock scenarios to gauge if it will be a good fit. You do actual work after they hire you. Companies pay for training employees for a reason. Here's a flowchart for if you internship is illegal. http://www.moneysideoflife.com/illegal-internship-flowchart/ http://www.moneysideoflife.com/illegal-internship-flowchart/ It's pretty much exactly the same in this scenario. Included in there, is a link to the Labor Department's regulations on the subject.

why-el 12y ago

I am in the process of agreeing to a similar arrangement but it is payed and can go on while I interview with other companies. Win win and the best part is that everything is transparent between me and the startup. This is in Germany.

mahyarm 12y ago

For visa people, you can't really get paid either when you do interviews. You usually don't know if it's 'actual work' or not before hand.

danielweber 12y ago

Call the New York Department of Labor at 1-888-4NYSDOL (469-7365).

lquist 12y ago

It's also illegal to require employees to use their own devices and not compensate them for that use.

codezero 12y ago
Is that actually illegal? I think it's really crappy, and no company should do it, but I'd love to see where this is codified as illegal.
- vonklaus 12y ago
  it is unclear. I read an article yesterday saying California had just passed legislation to compensate for it. Obviously, it is pretty unethical, especially if you spend the majority of the day on the phone.
  - codezero 12y ago
    Yep, agree, very unethical, very hostile. Where did you read about the legislation passed?
    - vonklaus 12y ago
      Hacker News I beleive. I will find a link and post in a few minutes. One link here: http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/338164/employment+litigation+tribunals/California+Appellate+Court+Tells+Employers+to+Pay+Part+of+Employees+Cell+Phone+Bills+or+Face+Class+Action+Liability http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/338164/employment+litig... Edit 2: It was actually on Reddit. This is the link to Reddit commenting on the computer world article focusing on the same ruling at the appellate level: http://www.reddit.com/r/law/comments/2f55j2/california_cellphone_ruling_poses_big/ http://www.reddit.com/r/law/comments/2f55j2/california_cellp...
      - codezero 12y ago
        Thanks a bunch, great stuff.