This state wants payroll involved in mediation processes

 

In Payroll, you never know when your records will end up under a microscope.

 

But it’s a possibility that some states may soon make that much more likely to happen.

 

Take New York, for instance, where a federal court in the Southern District (SDNY) recently announced all cases related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (DLSA) will have to first go to mediation.

 

That’s true as of Oct. 3, 2016 and it’s an expansion for a district that has relied heavily on mediations since 2011.

 

And if your company goes to mediation, you’ll have to fork over a number of payroll records.

 

What the courts are looking for.

 

Once FLSA cases are scheduled for mediation, you’ll have four weeks to deliver related documents. SDNY will require you to provide:

 

The employee’s time sheets

 

The employee’s wage statements

 

Any other existing records of wages paid and hours worked by the employee

 

Any existing documents describing compensation policies or practices, and

 

Any other payroll records for the employee.

 

Staying prepared

 

It’s a volatile time for Payroll, with overtime rules up in the air, classification lawsuits constantly in the news and plenty of other issues that can arise.

 

With so much at state, it’s a good time to review your records.

 

To make sure you’re ready to pull reports at a moment’s notice:

 

Create a road map. To make it easier for people to find records, outline where everything is stored on computers and in filing cabinets. If someone isn’t sure where to find something, they can refer to this list.

 

Consider your storage practices. Take a step back and consider how you’re currently storing wage statements and time sheets and ask, “am I doing this in a way that’ll help me find these down the road?’ If not, you’ll know you should re-think your filing so you don’t hit roadblocks in the future.