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Wages & Hours

Minimum wage hikes are here

01/05/2026
While the federal minimum wage has not risen since being set at $7.25 per hour in 2009, many state and local governments have implemented increases to keep up with rising costs. Here are some of the increases effective Jan. 1.

Time to announce your 2026 holiday schedule to employees

12/15/2025
Make it a policy to post your company’s holiday schedule every year. You should also clearly state your policy on paid versus unpaid holidays in your handbook.

Worried about possible pay inequity? Here’s what to do

12/08/2025
Employers who want to fix the problem may choose to look for inequity and then equalize pay. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Here are the crucial steps.

Starbucks to pay $38.9 million for NYC labor violations

12/08/2025
In a case that illustrates how much even minor wage-and-hour violations can rack up huge bills, Starbucks cafés in New York City will pay over $38.9 million to workers shorted on pay or otherwise harmed by poor wage-and-hour practices.

Share facilities and employees? DOL opinion says add hours together

10/20/2025
Ordinarily, working a second job for a separate employer doesn’t trigger overtime based on the total hours worked for both employers. But if the employers are closely affiliated, they may be joint employers.

Rethinking compensation: Can higher salaries drive RTO initiatives?

10/20/2025
When leaders start dangling higher pay to entice remote workers to return to the office, HR teams must reassess how they position compensation.

Protect your company by getting wage-and-hour rules right

10/14/2025
At the 2025 HR Specialist Summit, Carrie Hoffman reminded attendees that the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn’t grant employers much leeway. Exemptions are narrowly construed, the burden of proof is on the company and even small oversights can snowball into class claims.

Pay transparency takes root as employers prepare for stricter standards

09/15/2025
A majority of U.S. employers are taking deliberate steps toward greater pay transparency—even when not legally required—according to WTW, a global advisory and consulting firm, in its 2025 Pay Transparency Survey.

DOL hints new overtime rules may be coming

09/15/2025
The Department of Labor’s delayed spring 2025 regulatory agenda includes a separate item on long-term regulatory plans, which includes working on overtime rules.

Pay-transparency expansion leaves compliance gaps

08/25/2025
States across the U.S. continue to pass pay-transparency laws. But the U.S. Pay Transparency Index 2025 from beqom, a compensation management platform, reveals that even where laws are strict, compliance lags.