Business Management Daily has a breaking story on big-box office supply retailer Staples, citing a recent court decision in which the business was found in violation of overtime laws:

A federal jury in Newark has awarded $2.5 million in damages to 343 sales managers employed by office superstore Staples.

The court determined the retailer misclassified the managers as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when they were not.  As a result, the managers were not paid overtime.

Staples maintained it carefully examined the situation to comply with the FLSA, but the jury disagreed. It ruled Staples willfully violated the overtime labor law.

The court has not yet decided whether it will exercise its option to double the damages, as it can in cases involving willful violation of the law.

In a world full of stories of the big-box guys cheating their customers, I hadn’t thought I’d find one where they also cheated their employees. Just another reason why online retailers are a viable alternative. We work all over the world, at all times, and are treated well for our services. Why? Because people are making the switch, and we don’t need to cut corners like the big boys.