Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the exemption for managerial positions depends on various factors, including the salary test, duties test, and the requirement that the alleged manager must supervise two or more full-time employees “customarily” and “regularly.” This blog will focus on the importance of meeting the “customarily and regularly” criterion and its implications for employees classified at exempt managers.
The “customarily and regularly” requirement means that the supervisory duties must be a regular and frequent part of the job, not just occasional or temporary. If, for example, an alleged manager only supervises two or more full-time employees on rare occasions or for brief periods, they might not meet this criterion and thus not qualify for the manager exemption. Importantly, in instances where an employee does not meet the “customarily and regularly” requirement, the employee likely is entitled to overtime for the hours worked over 40 in a work week.
What exactly is ”customary and regular”? Courts have held that if an alleged manager supervises two or more full-time employees 67% of the time, or even as high as 76% of the time, then that is not sufficient frequent for it to be “customary and regular” and the exemption may not apply. Rather, the law indicates that the percentage of time the alleged manager is supervising must be much higher.
Let’s compare two examples to better understand the significance of meeting this requirement:
1. Assistant Manager Smith is classified as an exempt manager; however, Smith only supervises two or more full-time employees twice a year, specifically when the Store Manager goes on vacation. Smith likely would be found to be non-exempt and entitled to overtime because two weeks of supervising two or more full-time employees is not “customary and regular.”
2. Assistant Manager Jones is classified as an exempt manager and supervises two or more full-time employees every week, except when Jones is attending company training out of town. Jones would likely be found exempt (assuming all of the other criteria are met) and not be entitled to overtime because supervising two or more full-time employees all but two weeks out of the year is customary and regular.
The distinction between these examples is critical. Assistant Manager Jones qualifies for the manager exemption because Jones consistently perform supervisory duties regularly (every week), meeting the “customarily and regularly” requirement. On the other hand, Assistant Manager Smith’s supervisory responsibilities are infrequent and limited to a few specific occasions, making Smith likely ineligible for the exemption and therefore entitled to overtime.
If you have questions regarding overtime or your employment, please contact Shavitz Law Group at [email protected].