PBP Responds to Federal Court Ruling on Work Breaks

January 05, 2016 07:37 PM Eastern Standard Time

MALVERN, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Progressive Business Publications (PBP) has long valued the work done by the many telemarketers who have helped make the company successful. Our representatives are PBP’s life blood.

Despite what was reported in some media outlets yesterday, PBP has never denied any of its representatives a bathroom break, or any other type of break.

On the contrary, the company worked closely with its representatives to create a flexible work environment that gave reps individual freedom.

“Our employees can take a break for whatever reason, for as long as they want, and as often as they want, no questions asked,” PBP founder Ed Satell said. “People are free to come and go, or to do whatever they’d like at any time.”

The policy was started after many representatives said they needed a flexible work schedule to deal with everyday life issues. But it also became the focus of a legal dispute when U.S. Department of Labor first raised questions about it in 2010.

“We simply felt the rule did not apply in these flexible work kinds of situations,” Satell said. The DOL insisted the company pay for the time when telemarketers logged out and stopped working, even if it took 80% of the work day.

“We believe that it is in the best interest of the reps to be allowed to stop work at any time,” Satell said. “We have been upfront with the DOL, and they have known our policy all along.” PBP plans to appeal the federal court decision.

“In the meantime, we will abide with this ruling and institute a new personal break policy with guidance from our attorneys and the DOL, until the case is decided by the court of appeals,” Satell said.

“PBP always tries to do the right thing for its employees, and we believe we had created a unique and flexible work environment that meets the needs of our employees,” Satell said. “Many sales reps told us that they could not work at all if it wasn’t for our extreme flexibility.”

Contacts
Progressive Business Publications (PBP)
Ed Satell, Founder
610-854-6246