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Does the FLSA Apply to My Company?

I often read about the requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.  How do I know if this law applies to our organization, particularly if we’re also covered by California wage and hour laws?  — Francesca in Merced

BlackBerry® and iPhone® Use May Lead to Overtime

In today’s technological climate, it seems that almost every employee, from the CEO to the rank-and-file worker, uses some type of personal digital assistant (PDA) or BlackBerry® device. PDAs, BlackBerries®, iPhones®, and other so called “smart phones” have a number of uses: calculator, clock, calendar, video recorder, address book, word processor, radio, and even Global […]

EEOC Opinion Letter Addresses ADA and PTSD

(Updated February 4, 2010) In March of 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) addressed an issue employers may face more frequently than ever before: What obligations does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) place on employers with regard to employees who have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? HR Guide to Employment Law: A practical compliance […]

Accommodation: What Should We Consider When Addressing Employees with Disabilities?

We’re encountering challenging disability accommodation situations because of differences in California and federal law. Is the California definition of “disability” always going to be more favorable to employees than federal law? I also don’t understand why whether a person has a disability is determined under California law without considering mitigating measures. If a person is […]

Michael Scott Lives in Provo

Much like I wondered whether Santa was real as a kid, I often wonder if there is a real-life Michael Scott out there somewhere. This week, I think that I found the answer! When sales took a slump for a Provo, Utah, company, a supervisor came up with the idea of “waterboarding” one of the […]

Wage & Hour: How Do We Handle Disaster Pay for Nonexempt and Exempt Workers?

We have both a construction staff and an office staff, and we’re trying to put together a policy for paying employees in the event of an emergency. What happens if the construction staff needs to be sent home during inclement weather or the office staff and upper management can’t work because their computers are down? […]

Webslacking– ‘Akin to an Addiction,’ Readers Say

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady My recent column “Software Police: Best Way to Curb Webslackers?” generated interesting opinions. Most agreed that webslacking is an insidious problem, but two said to hold off on that monitoring—it’s no good for morale. Here’s a sampling of readers’ reactions: It is akin to an addiction “The problem […]