As we reported back in October 2015 a car dealership, Encino Motorcars, petitioned the Supreme Court to “restore uniformity” to the enforcement of legal precedent and hold that service advisors are exempt from the FLSA’s overtime requirements. On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and hopefully resolve the issue once and for
Can Employers Offer Compensatory Time to Exempt Employees? [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Recently, two blog readers asked a question about the use of compensatory (comp) time in the private sector during a discussion about tracking exempt employees’ hours worked. One reader’s company tracked exempt employees’ hours worked, and permitted the employees to “flex” any hours worked in excess of a normal workweek, either later that week or in future weeks on an hour-for-hour basis, subject to work loads and scheduling requirements. Another reader wondered if banking “flex” time would be an illegal use of comp time by a private employer. Let’s debunk that myth: Can you offer comp time, flex time, or some other additional compensated time off to your exempt employees? Yes! This is legal and permitted by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations.
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Moving Exempt Employees to Non-Exempt Status [Wage & Hour FAQs]
We discuss the misclassification of non-exempt employees regularly here on the blog and in our presentations at conferences and webinars, but a reader of the blog wrote me before the holiday weekend to ask about the reverse situation. The reader’s company has previously determined (correctly, we’ll assume) that some of its employees meet the “computer
Is Your Volunteer Really an Employee? The Answer Might Surprise You [Part 2]
In our last post, we looked at the rules governing volunteers at for-profit entities. As we discussed, for-profit organizations have almost no latitude to accept volunteer services. However, nonprofit employers face a more relaxed regulatory scheme under the FLSA when it comes to volunteers. Unlike their for-profit brethren, nonprofit employers can accept volunteer services
Is Your Volunteer Really an Employee? The Answer Might Surprise You [Part 1]
Over the past year or so, we have discussed the Fair Labor Standards Act’s application to both paid interns and unpaid interns, as well as independent contractors. One area we have covered briefly in the past, but not explored in depth, is the issue of volunteers. If you have been reading along
What Do You Mean I Have To Pay My Nanny Overtime?!
As a working mom, I am lucky to have a husband who is a stay-at-home parent. Rarely do I have to worry about being late to work because I have to drop my child off at school, or leaving work early to take my child to an after-school activity or doctor’s appointment. However, many of
Don’t Forget to Include Non-Discretionary Bonuses in Overtime
As 2012 comes to a close, we inevitably receive questions related to year-end bonuses. Last year, I posted about whether employers were required to pay a pro-rata bonus to those employees who left their employment before the bonus was paid out. This year, I thought it might be helpful to remind employers of certain rules relating to bonus payments made to non-exempt employees.
Bonus Payments and Overtime
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that overtime pay be determined using the employee’s “regular rate” of pay, which includes all earnings paid to the employee during the workweek. However, the FLSA specifically provides that certain earnings may be excluded from the regular rate, including certain bonuses where:
(a) the bonus remains completely within the employer’s discretion, which the employer exercises close to the end of the period for which the bonus is paid, and is in no way required by any contract, agreement, or promise such that employees may expect the bonus, or
(b) the bonus payments are made pursuant to a bona fide profit-sharing plan or trust or bona fide thrift or savings plan; 29 CFR § 778.200(a).
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Compensating Non-Exempt Employees Webcast
Some of the most common questions we receive from clients involve how to properly compensate non-exempt employees. Join me on Thursday, November 29, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. CST, for a two-hour live webcast entitled “Understanding FLSA’s Compensable Time Requirements for Non-Exempt Employees.” I will be serving on a panel in which we will address the
Court Rejects Challenge to DOL’s Interpretation That Mortgage Loan Officers are Non-exempt
I wanted to give our readers a quick update on the status of mortgage loan officers. In Mortgage Bankers Ass’n v. Solis, a federal district court in Washington D.C. recently rejected a challenge to the March 2010 DOL administrator’s interpretation that mortgage loan officers do not generally meet the administrative exemption under the FLSA. As
What Do You Mean the Job May No Longer Be Considered Exempt?
My last blog entry on travel time only touched on one issue that may arise as we see more employees being asked to take on additional responsibilities and assignments in lieu of hiring new personnel. Indeed, consolidation of jobs or responsibilities can lead to a number of other potential wage and hour issues that can