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Wages & Hours

DOL plans to explore raising exempt overtime threshold again

08/03/2021
The Department of Labor has confirmed it is reviewing the exemptions of executive, administrative and professional employees from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Manage FLSA basics: minimum wage and OT

07/29/2021
Managing a restaurant is tough these days. Staffing is next to impossible. Wages are rising. New covid-19 safety rules have added layers of extra costs. Those are just the new complications. But all the old requirements remain, too, such as complying with the wage-deduction and overtime rules covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Poor time records? Court will believe workers

07/15/2021
Sloppy or incomplete payroll records will doom you in any disputes over employees’ pay. As this new ruling shows, if your organization fails to show detailed records or policies—especially about disputed off-the-clock work—the court will use your employees’ estimates of their work hours to determine your liability.

Class-action seeks pay for covid-19 screening time

07/01/2021
Courts routinely rule that employees must be paid for time spent putting on protective gear that keeps them safe at work. Now employees have begun filing lawsuits making the same argument about time spent on coronavirus safety measures.

Report: Wage gaps between races continue to widen

06/22/2021
Wage disparities between Black and White workers have increased in the last 10 years, even for people with otherwise comparable backgrounds and qualifications, according to a new study by The Conference Board business research organization.

DOL proposes new rule on tipped worker pay

06/22/2021
The Department of Labor has floated a rule that would limit the amount of non-tip-producing work that a tipped employee can perform when an employer takes a tip credit.

Nike’s lesson on paying for security checks: Just do it

06/17/2021
Nike recently agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit by paying a total of $8.25 million to 16,000 retail-store employees in California who should have been paid for their time spent in pre- and post-work security checks.

Paycheck Fairness Act stalls, lacking Senate votes

06/17/2021
Legislation that would amend the Equal Pay Act to make it easier to sue for sex-based pay discrimination won’t become law this year, failing to win the backing of 60 senators necessary to overcome a filibuster.

Do your obligations follow digital nomads?

06/17/2021
Many employees who worked remotely through the pandemic will soon begin returning to work in person this fall. Before then, however, many of your pandemic teleworkers are likely planning to hit the road this summer—and taking their laptops with them as they can continue to work remotely from some location away from home. Here’s what to consider before giving them the green light.

Labor crunch: Lure applicants with higher pay

05/27/2021
The post-pandemic economy is showing signs of a solid recovery. Businesses that sell goods and services are gearing up to satisfy pent-up demand. But first they need to hire staff, and that is proving to be a challenge, even as the unemployment rate continued to hover around 6.1% in April.