• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Compensation & Benefits

Check overtime, other pay practices: DOL cracking down after scathing report

04/14/2009

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is preparing to crack down on employers who stiff workers out of overtime pay after a government uncovered a pattern of ignoring alleged employer wrongdoing. As enforcement gears up, we’ve got resources you can use to make sure you’re in compliance.

Minnesota’s 8.8% unemployment rate outpaces national average

04/09/2009

The recession is taking a heavy toll on Minnesota jobs, and the state’s 8.8% unemployment rate is higher than the national average. Duluth and St. Cloud had the highest unemployment rate in the state—9.8%. The nationwide unemployment rate was 8.1%.

Carefully word draw-against-commission contracts—or be prepared to lose money

04/09/2009

If you pay employees on a commission basis and allow them to draw against those commissions, be very careful how you word the contract language. If you don’t specify that employees must repay any draws they do not earn back with commissions, they won’t have to.

Changed work schedule isn’t workers’ comp retaliation

04/09/2009

A minor schedule change to accommodate medical restrictions isn’t retaliation.

Can we cut employee pay to reduce costs?

04/09/2009

Q. We are considering layoffs but would like to avoid them. Can we cut employees’ pay because of tough economic times?

Legislation would scrap state’s prevailing wage

04/09/2009

A bill before the Minnesota Legislature would allow the state to suspend prevailing wage requirements on state-funded construction projects if November budget projections show a 1% or greater deficit. State prevailing wage legislation is patterned after the federal Davis-Bacon Act, which requires federally funded construction projects to pay the “prevailing wage” for specific job classifications.

What to do when a Department of Labor auditor comes a-knocking

04/08/2009
Suppose an employee has complained to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) about possible wage-and-hour or overtime violations in your workplace. Once you’ve been notified that an auditor is coming, get prepared by conducting your own audit. Labor’s auditors have plenty of latitude to inspect records and interview employees, so make sure you’ve done everything […]

‘Honor Roll’ companies adopt eco-friendly policies

04/07/2009

Employers that made the 2009 Companies That Care Honor Roll are going green. Organizers of the 37-member Honor Roll point to a growing trend among applicants toward benefits, policies and activities that shrink their environmental footprint. Some of them encourage their employees to do the same. Some examples:

Shopping sprees, cruises keep showroom staff on board

04/07/2009

Employees who do a good job for Fun Bike Center Motorsports in Lakeland, Fla., reap rewards like Caribbean cruises and grocery store shopping sprees. “They’re great morale boosters,” notes Jenny Brown, assistant to the president. “We have a leader who truly believes in investing in his people.”

Accidental death benefits for deployed state employees

04/07/2009

The families of New Jersey public employees who die while on active duty in the military now qualify for accidental death benefits. Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law in March to extend the benefits, which traditionally had covered teachers, police officers, firefighters and government employees who died in car crashes or other accidents.