A series of seven-day workweeks

Is it legal for a company to have its employees work seven days a week? I work for a home healthcare agency that expects us to see our patients on weekends and holidays. I took this job after being told there would be no work on weekends or holidays. Then I was told that we would have to work weekends after all. Our supervisor told us the mandatory extra time would end after a few months. Instead, the job has morphed into never-ending weeks of work.

A lot of people in your field probably feel overworked because your occupation is fast growing.

But except for a few industries such as transportation, employers generally can require employees to work any number of hours during the week. The employer must pay eligible employees for all the time they work plus overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week.

Your issue is not just the long, unexpected hours but also working for supervisors who went back on their word.

Sometimes managers, just to ensure coverage, make promises to employees without any regard for reality. That’s why it’s good to get any promises in writing.

So have a talk again with the supervisor. Then follow up with an e-mail or a written note summarizing any promises made. That will create an all-important paper trail you can refer back to as necessary.