Overtime and Misclassification at Target: Are You Owed Back Pay? (USA)

The Reality for Target’s Salaried Employees

Many Target employees with titles like “executive team leader” (ETL) or similar find themselves working long hours, often well beyond 40 per week. Despite being salaried, if you spend most of your time on tasks like stocking shelves, running registers, or helping customers—just like hourly staff—you may be misclassified and owed significant back pay.

Target’s staffing and scheduling practices have led to multiple lawsuits, with employees alleging they’re denied overtime pay because their actual job duties don’t match the “exempt” status Target assigns. Understanding your rights is the first step to recovering what you may be owed.

What Is Overtime Misclassification?

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most employees are entitled to overtime pay—1.5 times their regular rate—for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Some employees are “exempt” from overtime, but only if they meet both a salary threshold (at least $684/week or $35,568/year) and specific “duties tests.” The most common exemptions are for executive, administrative, and professional employees.

Key points to remember:

• Being paid a salary alone does not make you exempt.

• Your actual job duties—not your title or job description—determine your status.

• If you spend most of your time on non-managerial tasks, you’re likely non-exempt, even if your title is “executive team leader.”

Lawsuits and Legal Challenges

Target has faced multiple lawsuits alleging that ETLs and similar roles are misclassified as exempt, even though their primary duties are non-managerial. Plaintiffs claim they spend most of their time on tasks like stocking, cashiering, and cleaning, with little real authority over hiring, firing, or discipline. Courts have allowed these cases to proceed when there are factual disputes about the actual duties performed.

Why this matters:
If you’re misclassified, you could be missing out on thousands of dollars in overtime pay each year. For example, a salaried employee earning $50,000 and working 50 hours per week could be losing over $12,000 annually in unpaid overtime.

How to Tell If You’re Misclassified

Ask yourself:

• Do you truly manage a department or team, or do you mostly do the same work as hourly staff?

• Do you regularly direct at least two full-time employees, or are you just the most senior person on a shift?

• Do you have real authority over hiring and firing, or is your input rarely followed?

• What do you actually spend your time doing each day?

Red flags:

• Most of your time is spent on non-exempt tasks.

• You follow checklists and corporate directives rather than exercising independent judgment.

• You have little or no say in personnel decisions.

• You’re scheduled for 50+ hours a week but don’t receive overtime.

State law caveats:
Some states, like California, require that more than 50% of your time be spent on exempt duties to qualify as exempt. State salary thresholds may also be higher. Always check your state’s current rules.

What You May Be Owed

If you’re misclassified, you may be entitled to:

• Unpaid overtime for all hours over 40 per week (calculated as 1.5x your regular rate)

• “Liquidated damages” (doubling your recovery) if the violation was willful

• Additional penalties, interest, and attorney’s fees under some state laws

Example:
A $50,000/year ETL working 50 hours/week for three years could be owed over $56,000 in unpaid overtime, potentially doubled to $112,000 with liquidated damages.

Other Wage and Hour Issues at Target

Misclassification isn’t the only problem. Other common violations include:

• Off-the-clock work (working before clocking in or after clocking out)

• Missed or interrupted meal and rest breaks

• Rounding practices that always favor the employer

• Unpaid time for mandatory security screenings (in some states)

• Unpredictable scheduling or hours cuts that affect benefits

If you experience any of these issues, document each instance and keep records off company devices.

How to Pursue a Claim

You have several options if you believe you’re misclassified or denied overtime:

• Consult an employment attorney: Many offer free consultations and work on contingency.

• File a complaint with the Department of Labor: The Wage and Hour Division investigates FLSA violations.

• File with your state labor agency: State laws may offer stronger protections or longer lookback periods.

• Join or start a lawsuit: Check for existing class or collective actions you can join.

Deadlines:
Federal claims have a 2-year statute of limitations (3 years for willful violations). State deadlines vary—California allows up to 4 years for some claims. Don’t delay; every pay period that passes may be lost.

Using Caira to Analyze Your Situation

Caira can help you:

• Organize your job duties and hours

• Compare your actual work to the legal duties tests

• Calculate potential back pay

What to gather:

• Your job title and description

• A log of your daily and weekly tasks

• Your authority over other employees

• Your salary and typical hours worked

• Any documentation of your duties

Questions to ask Caira:

• “Am I likely exempt or non-exempt based on my duties?”

• “How do I calculate the overtime I might be owed?”

• “What’s the statute of limitations for wage claims in my state?”

Review Checks for Overtime Claims

• What is my job title and classification?

• What do I actually spend my time doing?

• Do I manage and direct employees, or mostly do hourly work?

• Do I have real authority over hiring and firing?

• How many hours do I work per week, and what is my salary?

• Have I preserved documentation of my job duties and hours?

• Am I within the statute of limitations for a claim?

If you’re working long hours as an “executive team leader” or similar role at Target but spend most of your time on non-managerial tasks, you may be owed significant back pay. The law looks at what you actually do—not your title. Document everything, seek advice promptly, and know that you’re not alone.

Caira can help. She’s delightful to chat to.

She helps you feel more confident and less anxious about employment law issues—whether you’re facing discipline, termination, or just want to understand your rights. Backed by 50,000 legal documents for all 50 states, Caira can:

• Answer your questions instantly 24/7

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• Help you track deadlines and next steps for your state

Try Caira for free—no credit card required.

This information is for educational purposes and is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Outcomes vary depending on the evidence submitted and its strength. Whether you’re properly classified depends on your specific job duties.