Do we have to pay an employee who quit after only 3 days? 07-08-2009

An employee quit after only 3 days of working. In the email he sent us regarding the resignation, he stated that we don't have to worry about paying him for the few days that he was with us. Do we still have to pay him? Can we be liable if we don't pay him, even though he told us not to?

Ann Kiernan replies:

You must pay him if you are a private sector employer. If you are a public employer, or a charitable, humanitarian, or religious organization, the worker might be considered a volunteer for those three days. Volunteering is not allowed at private, for-profit employers, according to the federal Department of Labor.

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