• North Carolina requires 14 and 15-year old employees to receive a 30-minute break after five hours of work.teenager image by Andrzej Solnica from Fotolia.com
  
  North Carolina establishes several labor policies, both for protection of the employee and to clarify what employers must provide. Residents who are up-to-date on North Carolina's labor laws can make sure they are providing or receiving what is legally required.
  
  

Paid Time Off

• North Carolina does not require employers to provide any paid time off. This includes vacation pay, sick pay and paid holidays. North Carolina does require employers who establish any paid time off policies to state the policies in writing for how pay is earned and used.
  
  In addition, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to observe religious holidays. Examples of accommodations include flexible work schedules and the ability to swap shifts with employees.
  
  North Carolina also requires employers to pay employees for any unused vacation pay upon termination of employment. The only exceptions to these are when the employer established a forfeiture policy.
  
  

Breaks

• Many businesses provide rest breaks and meal breaks for employees, but this is not required by North Carolina law. The only exceptions to this policy include employees who are under 16 years-of-age. These employees must receive a 30-minute break for every five hours worked.
  
  

Anti-Discrimination Policies

• Employers cannot discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, gender, color, disability or national origin. Employers also cannot harass an employee or negatively impact their employment on this basis. Examples of negative employment include demotion, reduction in pay and failure to promote.
  
  

Pay Requirements

• North Carolina requires employers to pay at least $7.25 an hour. This includes both wage and salaried employees. The state also requires employers to pay overtime for employees who work more than 40 hours during a work week. Employers must pay at least one and one-half times the normal wage for any overtime.
  
  Certain employees are exempt from overtime pay. These employees include administrative professionals, management and educators. They must receive a salary of at least $455 per week. State and local government employees may also receive compensatory time instead of overtime. Compensatory time may be used the same as vacation time and employees must receive payment for unused comp time upon terminating employment.