HR Compliance

On Dec. 18, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). On a 2-1 vote, the court found the individual mandate – the requirement that individuals maintain health insurance or pay a penalty – unconstitutional now that Congress has reduced the penalty to $0. […]

This blog post was originally published on June 6, 2019 and updated on Dec. 31, 2019. This summer, the IRS proposed an important revision to the W-4. The goal of the W-4 has always been to ensure withholdings align with the employee’s ultimate tax liability, and this proposed revision is intended to ensure continued alignment […]

This blog post was originally published on Sept. 24, 2019 and updated on Dec. 31, 2019. In September, the U.S. Department of Labor released its final rule that increases the salary threshold for workers in the executive, administrative and professional exemptions. The threshold increased from $455 per week (or $23,660 per year) to $684 per […]

For public companies subject to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s regulation on mandatory disclosure, changes may be coming very soon. The proposed amendments to Regulation S-K aim for “modernization.” From an HR standpoint, the most important potential change comes down to three words: “human capital resources.” If amended, the rule would make a company’s […]

Raids by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are up – way up. Data from the federal agency shows that between fiscal years 2017 and 2018, arrests of unauthorized workers have increased twofold and ninefold, respectively. ‘Routine I-9 audit’ On April 3, ICE carried out its largest worksite operation in the last 10 years, arresting […]

On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced its proposed rule to increase the standard salary threshold under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). See this post for updated information. If finalized, the proposed change to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) salary level (to $679 weekly, or $35,308 per year) would make […]

On April 1, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to define joint-employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Last September, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) published its proposed rule outlining joint-employment criteria as they relate to collective bargaining requirements. Two government agencies have published two proposed […]

On Sept. 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finalized its proposed rule to increase the standard salary threshold under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). See this post for updated information. Below are five key provisions that – if finalized – would change the way employers nationwide would organize and compensate their workforce. […]

On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced its proposed rule to increase the standard salary threshold under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). See this post for updated information. In March, the DOL is expected to publish a proposed rule that increases the salary level for exempt employees, making some previously salaried […]

As anyone who has been in HR for a while can attest, office romance is not a new topic and not likely to go away anytime soon. According to a recent survey by Vault, companies are even seeing an increase in such relationships. For example, 57% of the workforce have been involved in a workplace […]

In October 2018, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio signed Introduction 954-A into law. It went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, and will amend the administrative code of the city of New York to include a third sex designation on birth certificates. Individuals in New York City now have the option of choosing […]

Use your words. Say “please” and “thank you.” Clean up after yourself. The simplest rules – the ones you teach your kids, or the ones you remember from elementary school – often aren’t posted in any workplace. Usually, nobody needs the reminder. Unfortunately, all it takes is one horror story to demonstrate the importance of […]