What do the Proposed New Overtime Rules Mean?
It’s been talked about in the news a lot lately. The Labor Department has made recommendations to raise the threshold on the salary rate that would makes employees exempt from being paid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Currently under the FLSA, employers are not generally required to pay employees overtime premiums (time and a half) if they earn more than $23,660 per year. (NOTE: In California the Minimum Wage is higher than the federal rate) The proposed change is to raise that threshold to $50,440 per year. This plan also proposes raising the rate each year to [...]
It’s Not Just Customers. Employees are Reviewing Your Company, Too!
Yelp!, Google, Angie’s List, TripAdvisor…. There’s no question that consumers truly have a wealth of information on other customers’ experiences online, but did you know your employees are reviewing your company as well? With sites like Glassdoor.com, CareerLeaks.com, and Vault.com on the rise, it’s time to start thinking about how you will respond to reviews – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like most consumer sites, the ability to have reviews removed can be very difficult, but responding to reviews can show that your company is actively engaged in what current and former employees are saying about your company! [...]
It’s GAME DAY!!! Does Fantasy Football Belong At Work?
Every year, near the end of summer, as Football season approaches, people start to get really amped up about the Football season. More specifically, people get excited about their fantasy football leagues. As business owners and operators, the idea of a company-sponsored Fantasy Football league might be cringe-worthy, but maybe it’s not as bad and scary and it seems. Sure, a study came out last year from Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. that had employers absolutely terrified that Fantasy Football was costing BILLIONS! Headlines read “Study Shows Fantasy Football costing $13 Billion Annually” or “Employers Paying Billion Dollar Price for [...]
Are You Making These 3 Mistakes on LinkedIn
“We all know that with more than 310 million members in more than 200 countries and territories, LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network. It has executives from all of the Fortune 500 and most businesses are at least represented, but most have their entire executive teams connected.” – Ryan Bradley LinkedIn has quickly become the professional face of the next generation. If you do not have a LinkedIn identity, you should probably think about creating one! Instead of scouring the newspaper looking for job ads, job postings, group posts and status updates are all free for the taking on [...]
Nickels & Dimes: Examining Your Wage Practices
“There has been a 77% rise in lawsuits tied to wage-and-hour disputes since 2004.” – Replicon.com Wage and hour lawsuits continue to be the hot ticket for employment related litigation. It is critical for employers to provide specific and concise guidelines for overtime, clocking in and out, and meal and rest periods to name a few! Without these policies in place, employers open themselves up to liability and potential for astronomical amounts of money and time lost due to costly legislation. Conducting a self-audit and analyzing the “nickels and dimes” of it within your organization can really help to beef [...]
Workplace Bullies: Do You Know One, And How to Stop Them
Workplace bullies, like schoolyard bullies, have always existed. But only recently, with revisions to sexual harassment legislation and inclusion of anti-bullying policy in company handbooks nationwide, have the bullies been identified as harmful to productivity and legal liabilities for employers. Studies have shown that an estimated $200 billion is lost annually due to higher absenteeism, lower productivity, and litigation caused by workplace bullies. Here’s a handy list of potential problem employees to watch for. Do you know someone in your organization that fits the bill? Or an even tougher pill to swallow: are you one of these bullies? If you [...]
Chipotle’s Big Day
Job fairs are one way that employers attempt to lure in a large number of applicants all in one shot. Chipotle took this idea to another level when they decided to hire 4,000 employees in one day! Chipotle set aside time on September 9, 2015 (by opening early at each location) to hopefully hire 60 new employees at each location. This would increase their employee pool by almost 7%. While this may seem like the easy way out, is it really that simple? And what is the product – quality candidates or just a large number of candidates? From a [...]
The Mindfulness Movement: Finding Your Zen in the Office
Her lunch break consists of pulling on a pair of colorful leggings, some running shoes and a tank, then heading two blocks up the street for her daily dose of zen. His quiet place on the way home from work is next door to the coffee shop he used to frequent for his twice-a-day cup of joe. Her evening activities went from drinks with friends to quiet reflection in a room designated for nothing but thoughts. The mindfulness movement is sweeping the nation, from yoga classes to meditation to tai chi massage, as Americans are taking a different approach to [...]
Bust a Move!!! Those Magic Mike Dancers are Causing Quite a Stir in Court!! Are They Exempt or Not?
Anyone seen Magic Mike… or more recently Magic Mike XL? Maybe it’s just the woman in me, but I would say those moves are pretty creative! Apparently, District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr., doesn’t share my same enthusiasm for the arts. Haha! So...is Magic Mike exempt...or not? [tweetthis]Magic Mike: Exempt or Not? Depends on your definition of Creative Professional...[/tweetthis] Currently under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a class of employees known as Creative Professionals are exempt from overtime and other protections. The official description of a Creative Professional: To qualify as a “creative professional,” an employee must be (i) compensated [...]
How to Equip Yourself to “Employer-Parent” Talented Millennials
You know who they are. The one with his ear buds permanently attached to his ears, or the girl with twelve pieces of jewelry on her right ear alone who refuses to wear what you consider to be "business casual" attire. Or maybe it's the nerdy guy with glasses and messy hair whose face you've never really seen because he's always in front of his computer or cell phone; never separated from his tools of technology for even a moment while at work. Oh, and they are always late or right on time. Whatever happened to being on time and [...]