Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Question: We have an employee who was summoned for jury duty. Do we, as an employer, have to pay them for the days they’re missing work? Answer: Jury duty is an unavoidable but important part of our legal system. It is also time-consuming and will inevitably force people to miss work. Federally, there is no […]
Question: We have an employee whose essential functions require the use of their hands. They have requested an accommodation, and their physician has recommended a few weeks of time off until specific medical restrictions can be determined. What is our obligation to pay this employee during this doctor-recommended leave of absence? Answer: The leave of absence […]
Question: An employee worked his entire 40 hours by Wednesday and has requested paid time off (PTO) for Thursday and Friday, bringing the week’s total hours worked to 56. Are we required to pay him for the additional requested time, considering he had already worked his 40 hours and our handbook says PTO is to […]
According to a recent Forbes Advisor study, 40% of Americans plan to travel more in 2024, which means employees may request more time off from work than usual. This is a concern for many workplaces as time off requests and management can put a strain on an entire company. In this week’s HR Query, Tiffany […]
Question: What’s the minimum amount of time we can require exempt employees to use their paid time off (PTO)? Under our benefits policy, a half day (four-hour deductions) for exempt employees is usually OK, and our nonexempt employees can take PTO one hour at a time, but could we require a similar two-hour increment for […]
Summertime brings warm weather, planned vacations, and a number of state and federally recognized holidays. While long holiday weekends are often a time for celebration, cookouts, and a break from the typical 9-to-5, they also play an important role in calculating Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) […]
The fundamental premise of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is that all employees are covered by its base requirements. This includes being paid minimum wage for every hour worked and time and one-half for all overtime. The FLSA is a statute of inclusion, which means all employees are covered unless they fit within specific, […]
In today’s work environment, U.S. employees are experiencing increasing levels of stress and burnout due to longer workweeks, the labor shortage, the return of time-consuming commutes, increased responsibilities post-COVID and other similar issues that can impact mental and physical health. A recent report released by LLC.org ranked the top 30 “Most Stressful Cities to Work […]
In today’s workplace, work-life balance, flexibility, psychological safety, and advocacy for mental health and well-being are all signs of a positive culture. With employee burnout at a record high, organizations are looking for new ways to keep their employees productive, happy, and stress-free. Fortunately, organizations already a tool they can utilize: paid time off (PTO). […]
A common question from employers is whether they can use a “comp-time” system instead of making monetary overtime payments. The answer (unless you are a public-sector employer) is almost always “no.” A company in Asheville found that out the hard way when it was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for alleged failure […]