Our holiday pay policy says that employees must be at work the day before and the day after a holiday. Our office is closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. If an exempt employee works Monday and Tuesday but calls in “sick” on Wednesday, can we deny the employee holiday pay?
When are Student Assistants “Employees” Under The FLSA?
Last month, a federal judge in New York granted preliminary approval for a settlement in which Hofstra University agreed to pay up to $485,000 to a class of 256 undergraduate and graduate students who allegedly were not paid minimum wage and overtime in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The plaintiff class included both students who the University classified as hourly employees and others who received stipends as undergraduate and graduate assistants. Because the case was settled, the court never reached a judgement as to whether the students who received stipends were “employees” entitled to minimum wage and overtime under the FLSA. That begs the question, when must a student be considered an “employee” for purposes of minimum wage and overtime?
Even Best Practices Can’t Always Ensure Quick Dismissal of Wage & Hour Claims
You’re a savvy employer. Your timekeeping policies are clear. Your employees know that they are required to report all of their work time. Employees sign off on their time records each week. You even provide a procedure for employees to confidentially report any improper actions by their supervisors. Your records are complete, organized, and show that you’ve fully compensated your employees for all reported work hours. But what happens when an employee claims that his supervisor instructed him not to report overtime unless it was authorized in advance, and to record unpaid lunches even on days that he worked through his lunch break? As a recent ruling from a federal district court in Idaho illustrates, even following best practices with respect to recordkeeping compliance won’t necessarily preclude an employee from taking a claim for unpaid overtime to a jury.
Starting Computers and Reading E-Mail May Be Compensable Work
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a settlement with Hilton Reservations Worldwide, LLC, in which the company agreed to pay $715,507 in minimum wages and overtime pay to 2,645 current and former customer service employees in Texas, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania. The DOL determined after an audit that the company failed to pay workers for pre-shift activities such as booting up their computers, launching necessary programs, and reading work-related e-mails.
What Do You Mean the Job May No Longer Be Considered Exempt?
My last blog entry on travel time only touched on one issue that may arise as we see more employees being asked to take on additional responsibilities and assignments in lieu of hiring new personnel. Indeed, consolidation of jobs or responsibilities can lead to a number of other potential wage and hour issues that can have a significant impact on employers. One such issue arises when an exempt employee takes on additional jobs or duties that are non-exempt. How should an employee be treated for overtime purposes if working both exempt and non-exempt positions?
Wage & Hour Issues in the Cleaning and Maintenance Industry
Check out my article in the October 2011 issue of Cleaning & Maintenance Management. While focused on the cleaning and maintenance industry, the issues highlighted in the article are generally applicable to a wide range employers.
Exempt Employees, Paid Leave, and Partial Day Absences [Webinar Q&A]
Another in our series of answers to questions from our September 28 webinar on wage and hour law in higher education:
Employee Volunteers and Emergency Call-Ins [Webinar Q&A]
Another in our series of answers to questions from our September 28 webinar on wage and hour law in higher education:
Court: Cable Installers Employees, Not Independent Contractors
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about an initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor, IRS and various state agencies to launch a coordinated crack-down on employers who misclassify employees as independent contractors. Recently, a U.S. District Court in Ohio issued a ruling that nicely illustrates the problem of misclassifcation and the potential liabilities that employers can face as a result.
Wage & Hour Law On Campus – Your Webinar Questions Answered
Last Wednesday, my partner Ed Druck and I hosted a webinar on wage and hour law for colleges and universities. (For those who missed it, you can check out the recording.) We had a great turnout and a wonderfully responsive audience. We were thrilled to receive nearly 50 questions, but could only get to a handful of them during the webinar. Over the next several weeks, we will try to answer a number of them here on the blog. If we don’t get to yours, please feel free to contact me or Ed.
Do Employers Have to Pay for Travel Time?
In this economy, we continue to see lay-offs and slow growth in hiring. As a result, more employees are being asked to take on additional responsibilities and assignments. These circumstances, coupled with the fact that some employers are properly re-classifying certain jobs as non-exempt, have led to an increase in work-related travel for non-exempt employees. For some employers, requiring non-exempt employees to travel is new territory. As a result, I thought it would be beneficial to provide some general guidance on hours worked for travel time purposes. The following general rules apply to non-exempt employees:
DOL Coordinates With IRS, States On Independent Contractor Misclassification
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Labor held a ceremony at which Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis signed a memorandum of understanding with the Internal Revenue Service to “improve departmental efforts to end the business practice of misclassifying employees in order to avoid providing employment protections.” The DOL also signed or has agreed to sign memorandums of understanding with officials in 11 states to coordinate efforts to crack down on independent contractor misclassification, including Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Utah, and Washington.
How to Calculate Overtime for Salaried Employees Who Also Receive Commissions [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Reading about a recent lawsuit filed against Groupon, I was reminded that even the most cutting edge businesses may not understand the nuances associated with calculating overtime and find themselves a target for running afoul of wage and hour laws. My colleague and fellow blogger, Bill Pokorny, wrote a helpful blog entry last week on calculating overtime for salaried employees. I thought it might be useful for our readers if a follow-up entry was posted discussing how to calculate overtime for salaried, non-exempt employees who also receive commissions.
Calculating Overtime for Salaried Employees [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Q. We have a number of non-exempt employees who are nevertheless paid a salary. How do we calculate overtime for these employees?
Interesting Wage & Hour Enforcement Statistics
Recently the U.S. Department of Labor revamped its enforcement data website, http://ogesdw.dol.gov/, adding some snazzy new map displays showing inspection and violation data from OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
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