He’s probably on wages. The salaried people probably work 8 hours per day, and take a half hour off for lunch, making their day 8-1/2 hours total. The wage earners probably use to do the same thing, but then some law said they had to get 15 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon. To keep things synchronized, and in stead of adding a half hour of work for the salaried employees, they cut the wage earners day by half an hour. Typical example of the government trying to improve the lives of the workers, but actually screwing them.
Everything the government decries, will hurt you, one way or another.
Everyone I know who's salaried puts in more than 8 hours per day.
Our kid works for a Fortune 100, and he's salaried, but they have a policy that up to 45 hours per week is included in the salary. If they have weeks where they're putting in time, sometimes an extra 15 or so hours over the 45, then they get paid what their hourly wage would be for anything over the 45 hours.
But the rest of us who are salaried work more than 40...not complaining, pay is good, just sayin'.