October 2016

HR Strategies goes above and beyond in managing customized HR solutions for companies that are motivated to reduce costs by using HR Outsourcing. As a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), HR Strategies becomes your Payroll Processing Company and Workers' Compensation Outsourcing, handles your Employee Benefits, provides Human Resource Consulting, works with you on Human Resources Regulatory Compliance, and provides Human Resource Training, as well as many other related HR responsibilities.

Our professionals enable small business owners to focus on their core competencies, rather than focusing on running payroll, providing employee benefits, or the many other facets of human resource administration. We allow business owners to concentrate on their passion, without being distracted by countless human resources responsibilities.
Win-Win: How a Call to an Employee Complaint Hotline Benefitted Both Employee AND Employer

HR Stories From The Front Lines*
 


Employees are not always comfortable addressing their job-related concerns with supervisors or managers. As a result, employers are often blindsided by problems in the workplace. To combat this problem, employers are forced think of creative ways to keep the lines of communication open with employees. One simple solution -- consider implementing an employee complaint hotline! Read ahead to learn how an employee complaint hotline helped one employer.

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(*This incident really happened; but names and other details have been changed.)

Stay Up to Date on the Latest Employment Legal Updates

FEDERAL UPDATES
And the War Continues - the NLRB Launches an Assault on Handbooks
EEOC Expands Definition of Protected Activity
One Step Closer to a New Form I-9
DOL Partnership Regarding Worker Misclassification - 34 States and Counting
Federal Contractor Minimum Wage to Increase in 2017
Are Your Exempt Employees Really Affected by the New FLSA Overtime Rule?
The New FLSA Overtime Rule - Challenges Abound

STATE UPDATES
All States: Minimum Wage Increases for 2017
Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Nevada: Is Your State Contemplating the Legalization of Marijuana?
California: Change in California Garnishment Rate Now Effective
California: Notice Now Required for California Domestic Violence Leave
California: New to California - Employee Wage Complaint Hotline
Georgia: Clarifies its Wage Garnishment Laws
Illinois: Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act Amended
Massachusetts: Transgender Restroom Law Now in Effect
Michigan: Employer Friendly Changes Made to the Michigan Wage Garnishment Laws
Rhode Island: New Law Governing Physician Non-Compete Agreements
South Dakota: Changes its Automatic Exemption for Garnishments
Tennessee: Garnishment Laws Extended to Independent Contractors
West Virginia: Changes its Automatic Exemption for Garnishments

 
FLSA: Inclusion of Nondiscretionary Bonuses and Incentive Payments

Brain Teaser

It's March 31, 2017 and your Company just issued its first quarter bonuses. These bonuses are nondiscretionary.

You have an exempt employee who earns a fixed salary of $866 per week, which falls below the FLSA minimum salary level for exempt employees. This employee also received a $1,000 first quarter bonus. Your company is planning to use the bonus to satisfy the remainder of the salary requirement.

How do you factor in the bonus to determine if the minimum salary has been met?
  1. You can use the entire bonus amount ($1,000) to meet the minimum salary provided that, at the end of the year, the amount of bonus used does not exceed 10% of the total compensation paid to the employee.
  2. You can use 10% of the $1,000 bonus to satisfy the salary requirement, which is $100. This amount ($100) is then divided by 13 (the number of weeks in the quarter) - resulting in $7.69. That amount ($7.69) is then added to the employee's weekly salary ($866) - resulting in a weekly salary of $873.69. This employee's salary does not meet the minimum salary requirement of $913 per week.
  3. You would add the weekly salary of the 13 weeks in the quarter, to the 10% of the $1,000 bonus and divide by 4 quarters to see if employees are on track to meet the annual equivalent of $913 per week. If you give a "holiday" bonus at the end of the year, you can make-up any shortfalls.
  4. The bonus can be used to satisfy up to 10% of the minimum salary requirement of $913 per week, which would be $91.30. Since the weekly salary is short by $47, which is within 10% of the minimum salary requirement, $47 of the bonus can be used to meet standard salary level.
View the answer.

 
How to Manage Time-Off Requests
for Election Day
Manager Training

Election Day is November 8th and it is anticipated that voter turnout will reach a record high. As a result, employers should prepare for an increase in the number of employees requesting time off to vote. Under what circumstances, if any, are employers required to grant this type of request? Read ahead to learn about the voting leave laws in your state.

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This information is provided by ePlace Solutions, Inc. which is solely responsible for its content. ePlace Solutions, Inc. is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. Federal and state laws are more complex than presented here. This information is simplified for the sake of brevity and is not a substitute for legal advice. ePlace Solutions, Inc. disclaims any liability, loss or risk incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this information.
 

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