Listen up Employers, Managers and Supervisors! The Department of Labor’s Solicitor of Labor, Patricia Smith, confirmed the release and implementation plans for the much anticipated White Collar Overtime Exemption Final Rule during her speech at the American Bar Association’s mid-winter meeting of the Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee. This is truly BREAKING NEWS that all employers must pay […]
Author: Lisa Smith, SPHR
Every day a new wage and hour class action is filed and/or settled somewhere in the USA. Why is it so hard to just do it right? Do what right, you ask? Well….. all of it. Pay workers a fair wage plus overtime – for starters. Use some reason. If it sounds unfair to the […]
Overtime exemptions can be difficult to determine. Have you ever thought you might just call up your friend who works for a large nationally known corporation and ask how they classify certain types of workers? I mean, after all, the big guys have all of the money and can afford to pay expert employment law […]
Calculating overtime is always a source of litigation when you open most any law blog. Complicating the various methods of calculation required by either a federal or state law is the addition of payments such as bonuses which may affect the overtime rate. I came across this court case which nicely spelled out the calculations used […]
Job description creation is time consuming and requires a lot of research. Managers and employers struggle to find the time to do this task properly. And, of course, when this item pops up on the “to do” list the boss wants it done PDQ! (Pretty Darn Quick) So, what’s a manager to do?
As the news spreads of the sad effects of the Zika Virus on a developing fetus, all women of childbearing age are looking for ways to protect themselves from coming into contact with the seemingly invisible (but deadly) mosquitoes carrying Zika. Employers are also concerned with the possible responsibilities they bear under employment laws such […]
Domestic Violence is an epidemic. 25% (or more) of women and almost as many men are victims of violence at the hand of an intimate partner or family member. Look around your workplace and remember this statistic. I love to write about the reality of Domestic Violence and how your workplace is affected. Sadly, I […]
The new FLSA overtime exemptions are the source of anxiety for many employers who are waiting on edge for the release of the Final Rule. We were supposed to get this new guidance in late 2015, but were told at the last minute we would likely see the release in late 2016. So, what has […]
The workplace gossip (as in the person) can be such an annoyance. However, a few HR “experts” believe the workplace gossip is necessary and even a sought after skill. What do you think? Do we need people with this so-called “social skill”? Read the article below and decide for yourself.
So, I watch the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon every night. If you read my blog or listen to my podcast you may have picked up on what a huge fan I am. Last night he had Kate McKinnon on the show. I LUV her, so I was mos def watching. The lessons I pulled out […]