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Compensation & Benefits

Out of FMLA leave–and out of luck?

07/13/2011
Q. One of our employees has a recurring illness that flares up every so often. By taking a few weeks off here and there, he has used all of his paid time off (PTO) and exhausted his FMLA leave. If he has another flare-up, do we have to permit him to take time off even though it would be more than the FMLA requires or our policies allow?

New FLSA regs mean it’s time to review wage-and-hour practices

07/13/2011

New regulations implementing the FLSA are now in effect, and they mark a significant change in federal wage-and-hour rules—and how the DOL enforces them. The new regulations were created to make FLSA regulations consistent with changes driven by other applicable federal laws. Be mindful of these new regulations and the additional burdens they impose.

Quitting pending discharge means no unemployment comp

07/13/2011
Employees who quit after being told they may be terminated aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation. That’s especially true if quitting provides another benefit, such as the ability to use the employer as a reference.

Bad attitude, rude behavior bars unemployment

07/13/2011
Employees who have been fired generally qualify for unemployment benefits unless they were terminated for misconduct. But “misconduct” is broadly defined. It can even include rude or snippy behavior that shows an employee doesn’t really care.

Milton car dealership settles wage-and-hour dispute

07/13/2011
Milton-based McKenzie Buick GMC has settled a dispute over minimum wage, overtime pay and tracking of employees’ hours worked. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division revealed the dealership wasn’t maintaining accurate records of the hours many of its salespeople worked.

What’s this new technology designed to help employees track their hours worked?

07/13/2011
Q. I heard something about a new wage-and-hour smartphone app that the Department of Labor has announced. What does it mean for our company?

Factor in employee discretion when tech changes start to affect FLSA classifications

07/13/2011
As the world of work becomes more technologically driven, some employees are seeing their job responsibilities change. Those jobs may then change from hourly to exempt under the FLSA.

Base FMLA eligibility on date leave begins

07/13/2011

Employees have to give 30 days’ notice before taking FMLA leave. That means some employees may ask for FMLA leave before they are actually eligible. For example, an employee may request time off for a serious health condition when he still has a few hours more to work before hitting the one-year or 1,250-hour milestone. Employers can’t deny the request merely because it was made before the employee became eligible.

State by State 2015 Short-Term Child-Care Leave Laws

07/13/2011
In honor of the impending beginning of another school year, and first-day school jitters everywhere, this chart summarizes states’ short-term leave laws. States that don’t have laws aren’t listed. In most cases, employees may substitute paid accrued leave for unpaid leave. To get the full story on state leave laws, contact your state labor department.

401(k) participation: Show me the money!

07/13/2011
Curt Lansbery, CEO of North American Tool, couldn’t understand why his employees weren’t maxing out their 401(k) contributions, even though the company kicked in. Here’s how he prompted employees to take action.