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Wages & Hours

Docking pay isn’t legal; rounding time normally is

06/01/2007

Q. Is it permissible to dock pay for someone who clocks in late? We pay the employee for actual hours worked to the nearest quarter hour, but we also dock tardy employees an additional quarter hour.—P.P.

Review per diem reimbursements: IRS looking closer

06/01/2007

Make sure you’re closely tracking expense reimbursements. Since the beginning of 2007, the IRS has issued a stern warning …

Money trouble is the No. 1 stress point for employees

06/01/2007

What’s keeping your employees up at night? For most, it’s money woes and work/life balance …

Good evaluation, raise don’t invalidate retaliation claim

06/01/2007

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier to charge retaliation for complaining about alleged discrimination, the courts have been flooded with new cases probing the limits of the ruling. The new test is whether an employer’s action would “dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination”…

Stick it to the man! Wait, I am the man!

06/01/2007

A group formed to free restaurant workers from the yoke of exploitation is about to be sued for exploiting them in turn …

Track all hours worked just in case exempt status fails

06/01/2007

Many employers assume they don’t need to keep track of the hours exempt employees actually work. Wrong! Since it’s conceivable that employees could contest their exempt status, you should track all hours worked by all employees …

Train your managers: Make no promises about wages or raises

06/01/2007

Florida contract law recognizes oral contracts. That’s why it’s important to train all managers and supervisors to avoid promising employees any specific wage increases …

FLSA and Georgia law: Figuring overtime pay for commission employees

06/01/2007

Georgia’s labor code contains no overtime exemption for commission-paid employees, but the federal Fair Labor Standards Act does. Georgia employers largely follow the federal law because it’s more stringent than state law. So employees who are paid on a commission basis are exempt from overtime laws, right?…

OSHA to Clarify Protective-Equipment Standard

06/01/2007

Who pays for an employee’s personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves and steel-toed shoes): the employer or the employee? Federal regulations are unclear in most cases. But that may be changing …

New study turns up heat on child labor compliance

06/01/2007

Many teenagers operate hazardous equipment at work and fail to receive appropriate safety training, according to a new study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health …