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Compensation & Benefits

As the employer, it’s up to you to prove overtime exempt status

08/01/2007

Under California law, employees are entitled to overtime payments unless the law exempts them from protection. But It’s up to employers to justify each exemption they claim …

Dunkin’ Donuts sues own franchisees for hiring illegals

08/01/2007

Dunkin’ Donuts has filed suit against Anuja Inc., operator of two franchises in Somerset and Middlesex, over the hiring of illegal immigrants. The lawsuit contends the owners knowingly accepted false documents, used false Social Security numbers and paid workers in cash …

Attention Wal-Mart managers: Beware of class-Action lawsuits

08/01/2007

Over the past few years, large companies such as Microsoft, Abercrombie and Fitch, Intel, Federal Express, UPS, IKEA and Burger King have been involved in multimillion dollar class-action lawsuits for violating state and federal wage-and-hour laws. Now add Wal-Mart to that list …

Employee pays when customers don’t?

08/01/2007

Q. I own a four-star restaurant in a large metropolitan area. Unfortunately, customers sometimes skip out on their checks. Can I deduct from the waitress’s salary the money owed by a fleeing customer? …

Track pay raises as defense to retaliation claims

08/01/2007

Sometimes, employees who have complained about real or imagined discrimination look for evidence that they’re being punished for complaining. Then, when something happens at work that may be completely unrelated to the complaint (e.g., a missed raise because of budget constraints or job cuts due to business cycles), they cry retaliation. Your best protection is to keep detailed records of all pay increases and merit payments …

Atlanta ranks second in combined housing & transportation costs

08/01/2007

For families earning between $20,000 and $50,000 a year, Hotlanta may not be so hot …

Employees’ kids in the workplace: To ban or not?

08/01/2007

A participant in the Forum section of our HR Weekly e-letter (www.theHRSpecialist.com/weekly) complained of the “constant, low-grade distraction” of employees’ children in the office—particularly in summer. He posed this question: “Is it best to ban employees’ kids from the workplace?” Here are some of the comments from other HR professionals …

It IS rocket science: Learn from NASA how to prevent ‘Brain drain’ at your company

07/31/2007

Use NASA’s seven-question approach to help stem the loss of critical knowledge at your organization…

Women in HR: Boost your career by writing your own annual report

07/31/2007

The bad news: You don’t earn as much as your male counterparts. And no one wants to hear you ask for a raise. The good news: You can reinforce "Brand You" by writing a personal annual report. Here’s a six-question template …

Federal minimum wage goes up—and so should your new posters

07/24/2007

The new federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour means you need to put up new posters – even if your state’s minimum wage is higher. We’re making it easy to comply. You can download and print official U.S. Labor Department posters – for FREE – directly from the HR Specialist web site.