• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Wages & Hours

Accommodation can include FMLA leave to avoid OT

09/08/2008
Sometimes employers must require their employees to work overtime to meet production goals. That can be a problem if one of the workers has a disability that prevents him from working more than 40 hours per week. It’s perfectly legal to require that the employee use accumulated sick time and FMLA leave to avoid those overtime hours …

Check pay rates for employees who regularly swap work

09/08/2008
Employees who allege EPA violations must show that they receive lower pay than a comparable employee of the opposite sex. That comparable employee must perform substantially equal work in the same establishment as the employee charging discrimination. Under those terms, employees who switch workloads as needed and share supervision are probably comparable employees … 

Does docking pay affect FLSA status?

09/05/2008
Q. I recently docked one of my salaried employees’ pay for damage he caused to his company vehicle. My HR director said that by doing so, we might have made the employee eligible for overtime pay. Is this true? …

Fee-Basis pay to maintain overtime exemption

09/05/2008
Q. Are there any alternatives to paying employees on a salary basis and having them remain exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act? …

Can we require longer hours?

09/05/2008
Q. We need our employees to work longer shifts to meet current production demands. Some employees have objected because this will interfere with their child care responsibilities. Is it legal for us to do this? …

Salaries up slightly in ’09, with more pay for performance

09/05/2008

Despite the economic gloom dominating the headlines, three new national salary surveys predict that U.S. employers will generally hold salary increases steady in 2009. The surveys show employers plan to award average pay increases at or near 3.8% next year, nearly identical to raises given in 2008 and 2007. But smart employers aren’t handing out 3.8% across the board …

Consider impact of high prices on hourly employees

09/05/2008

s the prices of gas and groceries continue to climb, your organization’s hourly employees might be having a hard time making ends meet—a problem that could create stress and distraction at work. Consider adding some inexpensive extras for employees who have to choose between buying quality food and filling their gas tanks so they can drive to work …

Survive the ‘perfect storm’ by matching pay to performance

09/05/2008

If your organization has plenty of employees but not enough of the ones with the skills you need to survive the economic downturn, you’re going to have to change the way you pay them. Make three changes to weather the tempest …

How to manage pay-for-Performance in today’s harsh new business environment

09/05/2008

If your organization has plenty of employees, but not enough of the skilled workers critical to surviving a down business cycle, you’re going to have to change your compensation plan. Three changes pave the way—finally!—for a pay-for-performance system that works.

Supreme Court’s tight Ledbetter filing deadline begins to slip

09/03/2008

When the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Lilly Ledbetter case in 2007, employers were thrilled. The court ruled that employees have to move fast after being denied a promotion or experiencing some other allegedly discriminatory act. Otherwise, they lose the right to sue for sex discrimination. But now, that tight deadline is beginning to slip as federal trial courts look for ways to give employees their day in court …