Employers who have an actual practice of improper deductions risk the loss of exemptionstatus for all employees in the same job classifi cation, not just for the affected employee.The loss of exemption status will be effective for the time during which the improperdeductions were made.Actual Practice The DOL looks at a variety of factors to determine whether employershave an actual practice of improper deductions from exempt pay. These factors include thefollowing: The number of improper deductions compared to the number of employee infractions warranting deductions The time period during which the improper deductions were made The number of employees affected The geographic location of the affected employees and managers responsible forthe deductions