Payroll

Noncash compensation counts toward minimum wage

01/01/2003

You probably don’t have employees living in your workplace, but a recent case illustrates your vulnerability to lawsuits if you keep workers tethered to the job, either physically or by phone, …

Don’t Allow Unlimited Sick Leave

01/01/2003

Q. Our company gives eight hours of sick leave per month to nonexempt employees. We’ve been told that, under the FLSA, exempt employees are to be paid whenever they are sick. So our exempt employees have virtually an unlimited sick-leave balance. Is this a correct way to interpret the FLSA? Should we have some type of sick-leave accrual and tracking for our exempts? —D.H., Kentucky

Person must be true employee to collect workers’ comp.

12/01/2002

Jerald Meyer was helping repair a wall at his wife’s restaurant when he fell from a ladder and suffered a serious brain injury. Meyer brought a claim under workers’ comp, claiming …

HR pay: Has it hit bottom?

12/01/2002

Didn’t get much of a raise in 2002? You’re not alone. The struggling economy held HR pay in check as companies kept a tight rein on salary hikes. Pay nudged …

Tip-pooling with management violates FLSA

11/01/2002

A restaurant required waiters to pool their tips and share them with busboys and managers who worked the floor. The waiters sued under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The employer …

Paid FMLA leave: Coming to a state near you?

11/01/2002

California’s recent passage of a paid family leave bill for workers may be the first in the nation, but don’t expect it to be the last. Reason: The new law, which …

Giving Exempt Employees Extra Pay Is Risky Business

11/01/2002

Q. Our company pays overtime to salaried supervisors for hours they work over 40 in a week. I have never heard of this compensation practice. Is it legal? —C.H., Colorado

Accommodate Reduced Hours For Pregnant Worker

11/01/2002

Q. I have a salaried employee who is pregnant. She brought in a doctor’s note that says her hours need to be cut to six per day. Can I either reduce her pay or have her work six days a week? —M.S., Virginia

Who Pays for Uniforms?

11/01/2002

Q. We require employees to wear uniforms. Can we deduct from their paychecks the money to pay for the uniform or clean it? —L.B., Massachusetts

Employee/contractor question hinges on employer control

10/01/2002

Katherine Kerr, a television stage manager, worked on a free-lance basis for a production company, which provided broadcast personnel to TV stations. After a few years on the job, the production …