Wages & Hours

Beverage maker retains moms with range of flex benefits

11/28/2009

Three-quarters of the women employees who got promoted last year at alcoholic beverage maker Diageo had flexible work schedules, including job sharing, flextime, compressed hours and telework. Among all female workers at the company, half reduced their hours at some point during the year, and 60% used flextime.

When religious needs conflict with schedule, shift swaps may be reasonable accommodation

11/25/2009

Many employers make it easy for employees to swap shifts if they consider their hours undesirable or inconvenient. Employers may do this by preparing the schedule well ahead of time and posting it where employees can easily see it. That makes it easy for management to know who is swapping with whom and to approve swaps arranged between employees. A shift-swap policy may also be all you need to win a religious accommodation lawsuit.

Looking for energy savings, Utah wound up trimming OT

11/23/2009

When the government of Utah decided to close state offices on Fridays last year, officials hoped to save $3 million in utility costs. Actual savings: $500,000. But that missed projection was more than balanced by an unexpected benefit: a $4.1 million reduction in overtime pay for state employees.

May we pay comp time instead of overtime?

11/23/2009

Q. We are a private employer. Can we avoid paying overtime to our hourly employees by giving them comp time?

‘Donning and doffing’ remains FLSA flashpoint

11/20/2009

Employers, beware if you don’t stay on top of the intricacies of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The fact is, the law is still developing and employers that don’t keep up will be caught. Consider the following case involving the seemingly old question of “donning and doffing” clothing and gear before and after clocking in:

Outsourcing payroll? Be sure someone can explain the math

11/20/2009

These days, with employers having to do more with less, lots of companies outsource some functions that take a lot of time. If a vendor handles your payroll, make sure someone on the inside understands exactly how the outside provider calculates tricky things like overtime pay.

No inflation = no min. wage hikes; Colorado’s falls

11/16/2009

Ten states tie increases in the minimum wages to the inflation rate: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Since the cost of living has actually declined this year, none of those states will see an increase in their minimum wages.

8 ways to cut costs with strategic work/life & flex benefits

11/12/2009

Although businesses typically view flextime, compressed workweeks and part-time schedules as recruitment and retention strategies, just 6% of employers have ditched those practices, even as they cut staffs. Here are eight ways your organization can make strategic use of work/life benefits to cut costs, save jobs and pump up employee morale during the recession.

Women are keeping jobs, but still losing on pay and benefits

11/12/2009

If the Great Recession has an upside, it’s that women have experienced far less job loss than in previous downturns. Yet dark clouds could obscure the silver lining. According to a new report, women still earn just 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, and their jobs often come with paltry benefits.

Beware employee costs that bring wages below minimum

11/11/2009

Beware breaking wage-and-hour laws if you employ drivers who cover expenses for the vehicles they use to make deliveries. If your hourly rate minus those expenses yields a figure lower than the minimum wage, you may be violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.