Wage and hour violations in Illinois just got a lot more expensive. On Friday, July 9, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed an amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act that increases the penalty for underpaying wages from 2% of the amount of the underpayment per month to 5%. That may not sound like a
Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act
Unlimited Vacation – Wave of the Future or Potential Liability?
The idea seems so simple: Instead of carefully tracking how much time each employee takes off during the year, we all agree to treat one another as professional, responsible adults, and take off whatever time we need consistent with getting our work done. That’s the idea behind unlimited vacation or PTO policies, and it does…
Illinois Employers – Update Your Expense Reimbursement Policies
There’s nothing like a looming deadline to prompt action. Back in August, Governor Rauner signed into law an amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act that, for the first time, requires Illinois employers to reimburse employees for reasonable expenditures or losses required in the course of their employment duties and that primarily benefit…
Do we have to keep track of exempt employee time? [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Q. We keep track of work hours for non-exempt employees using an electronic timekeeping system. For our exempt employees, we really have no records of how many hours they are working each day or week. Are we required to? Even if it’s not required, should we?
A. Like many legal questions, the answer is “it depends.” The first question is somewhat easier. The FLSA requires employers to maintain accurate records of the hours worked by non-exempt employees, but not for exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees. If your employees work in a jurisdiction that does not have its own additional recordkeeping requirements, then no, you are generally not required to keep records of your exempt executive, administrative or professional employees’ work hours.
However, some states do have their own recordkeeping requirements. Continue Reading Do we have to keep track of exempt employee time? [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Can We Mandate Direct Deposit?
Q. We would like to require employees to accept pay via direct deposit. Is this permitted?
A. Direct deposit is an increasingly common method of paying employees, with numerous advantages for employees (fewer trips to the bank, no worry about losing a check) and employers (reduced cost and administrative hassle).
The Fair Labor Standards Act…