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New to HR? Here are the basics

Are you new to HR? Feeling overwhelmed by the vast and constantly changing landscape of employment law? Worried about the risks to your organization? Don’t panic. You’re in the same boat as many others. You don’t need to know everything on your first day or even your first year. HR professionals with decades of experience [...]

October 20th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Calculating holidays & intermittent FMLA leave

The Dept. of Labor (DOL) recently clarified how to calculate time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) during a week that includes a holiday. Opinion Letter FMLA 2023-2-A looks at what happens when an employee takes leave for less than a full workweek – and that leave is intermittent. Less than a [...]

October 13th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Can you ask workers to waive OT? No.

Progressive Services of Virginia Inc., owners also paid $18K civil money penalty The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered more than $604,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 50 employees of a Virginia Beach home healthcare agency that illegally asked workers to waive their right to receive hard-earned overtime pay. An investigation by the [...]

October 6th, 2023|Uncategorized|

What to know about tax deductions for business travel

IRS Tax Tip 2023-76, June 6, 2023 Many people travel for their job — some for an occasional conference and some travel year-round. Whatever their time on the road, business travelers should know how and when to deduct business travel expenses. What to know about tax deductions for business travel Business travel deductions are available [...]

September 29th, 2023|Uncategorized|

$22 million jury verdict for unpaid pre- and post-shift activities

Federal jury finds East Penn Manufacturing violated federal law; awards $22M in back wages, among largest wage verdicts in Department of Labor history Department of Labor finds company denied over 7.5K workers overtime; will seek damages A federal court jury has awarded back wages of more than $22 million to the U.S. Department of Labor [...]

September 22nd, 2023|Uncategorized|

Supreme Court Reinterprets Undue Hardship Standard for Religious Accommodations

As you’re probably aware, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires that employers with 15 or more employees make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious practices and beliefs, so long as it doesn’t cause an undue hardship. Previously, undue hardship—as it applied to religious accommodations—meant “more than a de minimis cost.” The Supreme Court has [...]

September 15th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Embrace AI in the Workplace

Here's an excellent article on how to keep the “human” in HR while taking advantage of all the innovative technological advances coming our way. The article covers: Correcting AI misconceptions Embrace AI Tips for Keeping the Humanity in Hiring

September 8th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Do you need to update your policy handbook?

If you don't have an employee policy handbook, ask your Payroll Specialist about our HR product, which includes a downloadable, customizable handbook. You can create a professional handbook in minutes (yes, minutes). Here's an example of an issue that arose because the policy was not spelled out: Implemented new policy to stop employees from punching [...]

September 1st, 2023|Uncategorized|

What Employers Should Know About Pregnancy Discrimination

Pregnancy discrimination happens when an employer treats an applicant or employee unfavorably because they’re pregnant, gave birth to a child, or have a medical condition related to their pregnancy or childbirth. Despite being against the law, pregnancy discrimination remains a pervasive problem, at great personal and professional cost to its victims. Every year, the Equal [...]

August 25th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Paying for travel time between job sites

US Department of Labor recovers $96K for 10 workers on Kauai after finding cleaning company denied pay for overtime, work travel All Kauai Cleaning in Lihue also assessed $1,540 in penalties for repeated violations HONOLULU – U.S. Department of Labor investigators have found that a Lihue cleaning service failed to pay employees overtime wages when [...]

August 18th, 2023|Uncategorized|