Celebrity Wage and Hour: Liz Hurley’s Maid Underpaid?
Posted on 09-Mar-08 by The Timekeeper
I’m not usually one to indulge in celebrity gossip, but when a story involves actress Liz Hurley and her millionaire husband Arun Nayer, and has a wage and hour tie-in, it’s irresistible!
Liz and Arun’s maid, Violet D’Souza, reportedly filed a suit claiming she worked up to seven days a week, sometimes from 7:30am until 3:00am the next day, at the couple’s London home, cleaning, cooking and taking care of the couple’s five-year-old son — and for her trouble was paid a mere $193 a week.
That works out to between $2.70 or so an hour, which is below the US minimum wage. But, remember, she was working for them in London, in the UK. And the minimum wage on the other side of the pond is a whopping £5.52 an hour, which at current exchange rates translates to something in the neighborhood of $10.65 an hour.
Man, if that’s minimum wage, I’m almost ready to move to the UK. Until I remember how much they have to pay for petrol (gasoline, for those of our readers on the US side) over there, that is…
But I digress. As it happens, Ms. D’Souza settled for a five-figure payout and has now dropped her claims. She’s forbidden from discussing the details, but the report says she was also offered airline tickets as part of the compensation.
The other reason I bring this story to your attention is that I know many people, not just the rich and famous, hire nannies, babysitters and other domestic help. Even if you hire through an agency, you may find yourself in a “joint employer” situation where you could be liable for wage and hour issues for your domestic helper(s).
Worse, the rules seem to vary from one state or locality to the next. So before you hire somebody to help out around the house or assist you with in-home child care, make sure you know what the law mandates — and make sure you comply!
I know normally I focus on business related issues here, but many small business owners work long hours and may find it necessary to hire some help to keep things going on the home front. You may keep things scrupulously on the up-and-up with your business employees, but you shouldn’t relax your vigilance just because you’re at home. Wage and hour laws still apply.
Hat-tip to Lawyers and Settlements for bringing this to my attention!
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