HR Compliance

Today, 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 has increased from $455 per week (or $23,660 per year) to $684 per week (or $35,568 per year) for employees in the standard exemptions. The threshold for highly compensated […]

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 […]

If finalized, the proposed change to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) salary level (to $679 weekly, or $35,308 per year) would make 1.1 million additional workers eligible for overtime benefits. As a result, some employers may choose to reclassify salaried employees earning less than that to hourly. If this would be part of your […]

Recently, 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 of the two. The 2020 W-4 has been revised to reflect the suspension of personal exemptions under […]

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 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) and extend overtime protections to more than a million American workers. Below are five key provisions that – if finalized – would change the way employers nationwide would organize […]

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 […]

On Dec. 21, the U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to address and prevent workplace harassment within state and local government sectors. It is crucial that all employers, public or private understand its contents. With the signing of this memorandum, the two entities have […]

Despite a federal judge’s Dec. 14 ruling that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, the existing law remains in effect and employers should continue to abide by it for now. The case of Texas v. Azar was brought to federal court by the attorneys general of 20 states, who argued that when Congress zeroed […]