Tag: FLSA

Examine winter-weather policy before hazardous conditions strike

Although the calendar shows winter is still a month away, employers would be wise to think now about how they’ll handle the challenges hazardous winter weather will bring. When snow, ice, or other extreme weather shows up in the forecast, employers’ thoughts turn to how weather might prevent employees from getting to work and how […]

Are Employees on Leave Talking and Texting? (FLSA)

[Go here for risks 1 to 5.] 6. Fair Labor Standards Act Risks For exempt employees, employers must pay the full salary for any workweek, regardless of the number of days or hours worked. Therefore, if an exempt employee is on an unpaid leave of absence and uses an electronic device to check or respond […]

SPIN Sells CFO on Turnover Tactics

What skills would a good consultant need to sell turnover? Here are the key four, says Ahlrichs, who is owner of ExpertSpeaks, and a consultant and business developer for Gregory & Appel. Think Strategically Always be looking forward over the horizon to where organization is going, says Ahlrich. Anticipate ways to create value for clients. […]

Talking Turnover with Top Management

Start with this simple distribution chart, says Ahlrichs, who is owner of ExpertSpeaks, and a consultant and business developer for Gregory & Appel. Distribution of Producers Which ones do you really want to keep? If we agree that we want to keep the top 16%, says Ahlrich, then we need to address turnover. That means […]

Starbucks Gets a Triple Shot of Damages as $14.1 Million Wage-and-Hour Award Upheld

The penalties for noncompliance with state wage-and-hour laws can be more onerous than that under federal law, which coffee company Starbucks learned the hard way. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently rejected the company’s appeal of a $14.1 million judgment, finding it had misclassified its shift supervisors under a Massachusetts law and upholding […]

IRS Gives Tax Break on Leave Donations to Benefit Storm Victims

Employees who want to help victims of Hurricane Sandy through leave donation may do so without being taxed on the monetary value of the vacation days, sick days and personal leave they donate, the IRS announced Nov. 6. In a leave donation program, employees forgo vacation, sick or personal leave and return it to their […]

Pregnant Employees? What the FMLA Requires

The PDA applies regardless of how long an employee has worked for you. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), however, has stricter eligibility requirements but also offer more potential benefits. For example, the FMLA applies to new fathers as well as mothers. To be eligible for FMLA leave, an employee must have worked for […]

Contractors for Storm Clean-up Pose Misclassification Risks

Hurricane Sandy’s path of destruction has left many homeowners, municipalities and businesses in need of reconstruction and repairs — and when such weather-related disasters require massive reconstruction efforts, many landscapers and builders hire subcontractors to help. Increased joint employer liability, particularly in those industries that frequently use subcontractors, often goes hand-in-hand with worker misclassification. Employers […]

Pregnancy Discrimination—What to Expect When Your Employee Is Expecting

“All pregnant employees should stop work 30 days before their due dates.” “Pregnant women should stay out 6 weeks after the birth.” “I’m not hiring a pregnant applicant—she’ll just go on leave the day I get her trained.” “Pregnant women shouldn’t be working after the baby comes.” These ideas are out there, but they’re all […]