Tag Archives: wage and hour

Florida Employers: Wage and Hour Considerations and Hurricane Irma

I am pleased to share my latest post to The SHRM Blog.

Just as Texas begins its slow recovery from Hurricane Harvey, Florida braces for Hurricane Irma. So, we must, again, look at wage and hour rules:

  1. As a result of the FLSA’s salary basis requirement, if as a result of the hurricane, you close for less than a full work week, you must pay an exempt employee for days that you are closed. However, you generally can require that an exempt employee use PTO during a day in which you close.
  2. If you remain open and an exempt employee does not come to work, you do not have to pay the employee for the day; this can be treated as an absence for personal reasons, provided it is a full day. If an exempt employee arrives late or leaves early, he or she must be paid for the full day, but you generally can require that he or she use PTO, if available, to cover the non-working time. You also must pay him or her if he or she does any work from home.
  3. There is no legal obligation under the FLSA to pay non-exempt employees who do not work because you close due to the hurricane; however, there is an exception for non-exempt employees who are paid under the fluctuating work week. Under the FLSA, they must be paid if you close due to the hurricane for less than full work week and they do any work in the work week, whether it be few or many.
  4. Even if there is no duty to pay non-exempt employees, consider the employee relations message of paying exempt but not paying non-exempt employees for a day on which you are closed.
  5. Also, if non-exempt employee works at home, you must pay for all time worked. Systems must be put in place to state who can work remotely and how they must record their time so that they are properly paid. Remember, break rules apply to working at home too.
  6. Keep in mind also that there may be payment obligations under collective bargaining agreements and/or your policies.
  7. Thankfully we all know that no employee should be told to put themselves at risk to come to work. Just in case there is a manager who does not know this, you should make sure they do. Thoughts and prayers to our colleagues and their workers in Houston and its surrounding areas.

Houston Employers: Wage and Hour Guidance and Hurricane Harvey

I am pleased to share my latest post to The SHRM Blog.

For Texas employers, particularly in and around Houston, the priority is helping employees and remaining as operational as possible.  Just a reminder of the wage and hour rules that apply to remaining as operational as possible:

  1. As a result of the FLSA’s salary basis requirement, if as a result of the hurricane, you close for less than a full work week, you must pay an exempt employee for days that you are closed.  However, you generally can require that an exempt employee use PTO during a day in which you close.
  2. If you remain open and an exempt employee does not come to work, you do not have to pay the employee for the day; this can be treated as an absence for personal reasons, provided it is a full day.  If an exempt employee arrives late or leaves early, he or she must be paid for the full day, but you generally can require that he or she use PTO, if available, to cover the non-working time.  You also must pay him or her if he or she does any work from home.
  3. There is no legal obligation under the FLSA to pay non-exempt employees who do not work because you close due to the hurricane; however, there is an exception for non-exempt employees who are paid under the fluctuating work week.  Under the FLSA, they must be paid if you close due to the hurricane for less than full work week and they do any work in the work week, whether it be few or many. http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/h_regular_rate_salaried_nx.html
  4. Even if there is no duty to pay non-exempt employees, consider the employee relations message of paying exempt but not paying non-exempt employees for a day on which you are closed.
  5. Also, if non-exempt employee works at home, you must pay for all time worked.  Systems must be put in place to state who can work remotely and how they must record their time so that they are properly paid.  Remember, break rules apply to working at home too.
  6. Keep in mind also that there may be payment obligations under collective bargaining agreements and/or your policies.
  7. Thankfully we all know that no employee should be told to put themselves at risk to come to work.  Just in case there is a manager who does not know this, you should make sure they do.  Thoughts and prayers to our colleagues and their workers in Houston and its surrounding areas.

 

THIS BLOG SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE, AS PERTAINING TO SPECIFIC FACTUAL SITUATIONS OR AS ESTABLISHING AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

The Pope Is Coming to Philly

I am pleased to share with you a blog my colleague, Linda B. Hollinshead @lhollinshead1, and I collaborated on concerning the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia and the wage and hour issues it may cause.

We have been asked a lot of questions about the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia in terms of wage and hour and other laws. Here are the some of the questions and the general answers:

  1. If we shut down for a day or two, do we have to pay exempt employees? The general answer is “yes.” However, you generally can require that the exempt employee use PTO to cover a day on which you shut down.
  2. If we shut down for a day or two, do we have to pay non-exempt employees? The general answer is “no,” unless: (1) you have a policy that says you will pay; (2) there is collective bargaining agreement that obligates you to pay; or (3) the employee is paid on fluctuating work week basis. Reminder: the fluctuating work week is not recognized in Pennsylvania but it is in other states. Even if there no duty to pay, please think of employee relations since you must pay exempt employees.

Continue reading The Pope Is Coming to Philly

What Will the Department of Labor Do Next?

I am pleased to share with you an article I wrote for the Corporate Counsel section of ALM.

On July 6 in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Labor published proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standard Act’s white-collar exemptions. Under federal law, these include the following categories: executive, administrative, professional, outside sales and computer professional. The last is not recognized under some state laws, but remember that employees always get whichever is the more protective between federal and state laws.

To continue reading, please click here.

Preparing for Imminent DOL Rules

This blog was originally published for SHRM’s SHRM Blog.

We have heard it before. The proposed regulatory changes to the white collar exemption are “imminent.” And, then they were delayed.

Well, the regulations were sent by the DOL to the OMB. The conventional wisdom is that they will be published on June 18, 2015 (I suspect so the DOL can say “Spring”). Continue reading Preparing for Imminent DOL Rules