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Wages & Hours

Examine entire contractor link, not just uniforms

08/01/2003

Q. Can our company require an independent contractor to wear a specific uniform? And can we stipulate that the contractor buy the uniform through us? —A.C., California

Pay for Prep Time if It’s ‘Integral’ to Job

08/01/2003

Q. We expect our bank tellers to be at their workstations and ready to open at 9:15 a.m. Should the tellers punch in before or after they go to the safe and get their money? —L.S., Michigan

When must you pay for employees’ ‘on-call’ time?

08/01/2003
Issue: Many employers trip over the issue of when to pay on-call workers.
Risk: One mistake can result in big damages, forcing you to pay several workers for years of …

Comp-time reform bill dealt
major setback in Congress

07/01/2003
Legislators shelved a bill last month that would allow private-sector companies to offer compensatory time to employees in lieu of overtime pay, due in large part to intense protests from organized …

State law dictates your payroll frequency

07/01/2003

Q. Is it legal to adopt a once-a-month payroll for hourly employees? What other issues come up with a monthly payroll? —J.S., California

Bonus plans don’t erase your overtime obligations

07/01/2003

Q. We plan to roll out an incentive plan for all employees. The incentive would be calculated monthly but paid quarterly in addition to regular pay. As part of the plan, we are eliminating overtime. Can we still have employees punch in to monitor attendance or can that come back to haunt us if they work extra hours to reach the incentive threshold? —J.B., New Jersey

Could you be sued for commuting accidents?

07/01/2003
Issue: Employees aren’t “on the clock” during their commute, so you can’t be sued for car accidents they cause, right? Wrong.
Risk: A recent ruling has sparked a new liability …

Keep salaries gender neutral; pay gap widens at top levels

06/01/2003
Heads up: Pay equity is in your hands; make sure salaries are always gender neutral. Reason: Women are less likely than men to reach the highest salary brackets, according to …

Is a janatorial supervisor exempt or nonexempt?

06/01/2003

Q. We classified our janitorial supervisor as an exempt employee. She meets some of the qualifications, such as hiring and firing janitorial staff. But when she’s on site, she mainly performs janitorial duties. Is she classified correctly? —L.B., Texas

Comp time isn’t legal, yet

06/01/2003

Q. Can our company legally offer comp time instead of overtime? I’ve received conflicting answers. —R.S., Virginia