Ignoring pay complaint = 'willful' violation.

If you pay overtime incorrectly, you're typically liable for up to two years of unpaid overtime, doubled as a penalty. But if your violations are "willful," that liability reaches back one extra year, adding to the cost.

One common way you can trigger a willful violation: if an employee asks about overtime pay discrepancies but you fail to investigate the matter.

Recent case: For many years, Susan regularly worked about 42 hours per week as a scheduler for a medical facility, plus several on-call hours when she had to answer phone calls. She never received overtime pay. When Susan went to her boss to ask why...