Wages & Hours

2021’s rapid wage growth likely to surge again in ’23

09/21/2021

Thus far in 2021, wages in the U.S. have grown at the fastest pace in over 20 years. According to the Conference Board business advisory organization, the surge is likely to persist in the near term—and over the next decade as pandemic uncertainties fade and long-range demographic factors come to the fore.

Take local predictable scheduling laws seriously

09/16/2021

These days, it’s harder than ever to schedule hourly workers. But before the pandemic hit, scores of cities and towns adopted predictable scheduling laws aimed at letting hourly workers plan their lives around regular schedules. Ignoring those rules may mean big payouts for affected workers.

Pay some teleworkers less based on location?

08/26/2021

It may be time to rethink how much you pay remote employees. Some large employers already have. If you are considering adjusting your compensation strategy for remote employees, expect backlash. Two tactics will make it easier to weather the criticism.

Cost of diverting prevailing wages: $20 million

08/19/2021

A Pennsylvania construction contractor pleaded guilty earlier this month in what is thought to be the largest criminal prevailing-wage theft case in U.S. history. The cost for short-changing employees who worked on state paving contracts: $20 million.

U.S. employers planning larger pay raises for 2022

08/17/2021

Pay raises are making a comeback. U.S. companies plan to give employees larger raises next year as they recover from the economic fallout from the pandemic and face mounting challenges attracting and retaining employees, according to a new survey by the Willis Towers Watson consulting firm.

Rule would raise minimum wage for federal contractor workers to $15

08/10/2021

The Department of Labor has issued a proposed rule raising the minimum wage for employees working on federal contracts to $15 per hour.

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.