Tag: business

News Notes: Court OKs Tax Deduction For Employer-Provided Meals

Employers who provide on-site meals to certain workers have been given a break by the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Boyd Gaming Corp., which owns casinos in Nevada, offered workers free meals in an on-site cafeteria because it required them for security reasons to remain on the premises for their entire shift. But when […]

Legislation Update: Governor Signs New Bills On Unemployment Claims And Health Coverage; What You Need To Know

Governor Wilson recently approved two laws, one of which will make it easier for smaller employers to offer health benefits to part-time workers, and the other which changes the unemployment insurance rules to allow benefits to employees who are victims of domestic violence. Both measures take effect on January 1, 1999. Here are the key […]

Wage And Hour: Labor Department Spells Out When You Do–And Don’t–Have To Pay For After-Hours Training Time

It’s a common situation. You send some employees to required continuing education courses after work. Others attend classes simply to learn more about your business or industry. Are the employees entitled to pay for the time they spend in class? Probably not, according to a recent U.S. Depart- ment of Labor opinion. But you might […]

Overtime Claims: Overtime Misclassification Class-Action Suits Not Letting Up–Who’s The Latest Target; Plus A 6-Point Compliance Checklist

The nation’s largest privately held car rental company is the newest casualty in a growing list of high pro- file employers sued for misclassifying workers as managers. Management assistants for Enterprise Rent-A-Car recently filed a class-action lawsuit claiming they’re owed unpaid overtime because they were improperly treated as managerial employees exempt from the overtime laws.Claims […]

Exempt Employees: New Ruling Clarifies When Outside Sales Staff Don’t Have To Be Paid Overtime

As a general rule, you’re not required to pay overtime to employees who spend most of their time making sales away from your regular place of business. But figuring out which outside sales personnel are really exempt from the overtime laws isn’t always easy, especially because many employees perform a mix of sales and non-sales […]

Retaliating Against Whistleblowers: Employer To Pay $4.5 Million To Fired Controller Who Reported Tax Violations

Unhappy employees who complain about how you do business can try a manager’s patience fast. It can be tempting to simply reject a disgruntled worker’s accusations-and even to discipline or terminate an employee who seems bent on charging your company with wrongdoing. But when an employee objects to one of your business practices, it’s a […]

Family And Medical Leave: How Much Notice Must Employees Give You? New Cases Shed Light On Two Common Problems

When the family leave laws were enacted, the issue of how much notice your employees must give before taking a leave seemed relatively simple. But it hasn’t turned out that way. Say, for example, your employee wants to change the dates of her family leave after you already made arrangements based on her earlier notice. […]

Who’s Entitled To Overtime: New Case Examines Which Administrative Employees Must Be Paid Overtime; A Compliance Checklist

Figuring out who’s exempt from the overtime rules and who isn’t can be very complicated. Impressive titles and salaries don’t count. Only the employee’s actual job duties matter. And of the four main exemptions-managerial, administrative, professional and sales-the administrative exemption is the least clear-cut. In fact, employers continue to reel from an epidemic of multi-million […]

Trade Secrets: Workers Liable After Taking Former Employer’s Customer Business Cards; 4-Point Protection Checklist

When employees leave to join a competitor or start their own business, is your confidential data going with them? Sometimes the most valuable, but least-guarded information-like your customers’ names or even an employee’s rolodex-could seriously harm your business if it falls into the wrong hands. This problem continues to cause big headaches for many employers. […]