Final answer:
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) defines compensable 'hours worked' and factors for calculating overtime pay, ensuring workers are paid for hours exceeding 40 per week. It establishes minimum wage, restricts child labor, and provides protections for workers to create a balanced employer-employee relationship.
Step-by-step explanation:
The act that defines what is included as hours worked and therefore compensable, and is a factor in calculating overtime pay, is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA establishes the minimum wage, sets limits on child labor, and rules requiring payment of overtime pay for workers who are paid by the hour and exceed 40 hours per week. It was designed to ensure that workers are paid fairly for the time they contribute beyond a standard workweek. In the United States, average working hours fluctuate, with many full-time employees working over 40 hours per week, thereby impacting their well-being and necessitating regulations to promote fair labor practices.
Moreover, to empower workers, the U.S. government has enacted a range of laws aimed at achieving a more balanced power dynamic between employees and employers. These laws cover various aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including setting minimum hourly wages, regulating health and safety conditions in the workplace, preventing discrimination, ensuring family leave provisions, and more.