What are the requirements for having a work week?

In Mississippi, a work week is defined as no more than forty hours in a seven-day period from the beginning of the workweek to the end of the workweek. All hours worked in Mississippi must comply with the applicable federal and state wage and hour laws. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) is responsible for enforcing wage and hour standards, including the general requirements for having a workweek. The workweek must include seven consecutive days of twenty-four hours each or seventy-two hours in total. It can begin on any day of the week and end on any day of the week. This includes holidays, weekends, vacation days, and any other days that the company chooses not to operate their business as long as those days are accounted for and not worked. Employers must also provide their employees with all the required breaks and meal periods throughout the day regardless of the day of the week or hour of the day. This includes but is not limited to providing at least thirty minutes for a meal period when the workday exceeds six hours and at least two fifteen-minute rest periods for every four hours worked consecutively. When determining the length of the workweek, employers must also consider overtime pay standards. In Mississippi, any hours worked beyond forty exceed the legal limit. Overtime must be paid at a rate of one and a half times the employee’s regular hourly rate for each hour beyond forty in a workweek.

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