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Texas

Employee gave two weeks’ notice–can we just terminate him right away?

03/02/2016
Q. An employee has recently provided two weeks’ notice of his intent to resign. Can I tell the worker that he or she is not needed for the two weeks and avoid paying him for that time?

Toolkit: Prepare for the new white-collar OT regulations

03/02/2016
According to U.S. Department of Labor officials, the final version of the revisions to the white-collar exemption rules will be released in July. Employers will have only 60 days before the final rules take effect.

Even under Belo plan, it pays to track overtime

03/02/2016
The so-called Belo plan exception lets employers pay a set amount to employees who have irregular schedules, even if they sometimes work overtime because of the nature of their jobs.

Reserve duty is protected even if it’s inconvenient

03/02/2016
Employees who are military reservists can be called to active duty for weeks, months or even year-long deployments. But punishing that soldier for the inconvenience can be costly.

Court upholds overtime exemption for all seamen, not just pilots and captains

03/02/2016
The Fair Labor Standards Act includes exemptions for certain professions, including one for commercial seaman. Some seafaring workers have recently tried to narrow the exemption by arguing that it only applies to employees who actively navigate vessels.

Size matters for wage-and-hour compliance: Tiny business may be exempt from FLSA

03/02/2016
Every business is covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, right? Wrong!

As work evolves, do old pay rules still apply?

03/02/2016
Technology and new ways of doing things sometimes clash with old laws and regulations. Take, for example, the Fair Labor Standards Act rules on who is an exempt employee.

Unequal discipline for same offense? Be prepared to explain exactly why

02/10/2016
When more than one employee is implicated in a rule violation, make sure all employees are disciplined equally. That’s especially true if they have the same supervisors and similar disciplinary histories.

Are we allowed to discipline an employee for spouting off about political topics?

02/08/2016
Q.  With the upcoming presidential elections, political conversation among employees has become more frequent and intense. One employee in particular, whose political views are the opposite of most of the others in the office, has taken to vehemently promoting his favored candidate and that candidate’s views. Several employees have complained that this has made them uncomfortable. Can we take disciplinary action against the employee for promoting his political views? We are a private employer.

Prepare for overtime changes in retail, hospitality industries

01/28/2016
The U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act will have an enormous impact on employers in the retail and hospitality industries.