Compliance
Question: We have an exempt employee who has been taking a lot of long lunches and my boss wants to deduct time from her paid time off (PTO) bank. Can we dock her PTO for taking a long lunch?
Kelley| PHR Answer: You can deduct hours from this exempt employee’s PTO bank for time she was scheduled to work but didn’t work, but if it wasn’t made clear that you expected her to follow a set schedule, you’d only want to do this going forward. However, we’d suggest considering a different approach. First, speak to her about the long lunches.
California Increases Paid Sick Leave in 2024
State Law Alert October 16th, 2023 California Increases Paid Sick Leave in 2024 California was on the cutting edge of employee sick leave benefits when it rolled out Paid Sick Leave in 2015, but the 24 hours provided soon looked meager compared to the amounts offered by other states and localities. Now, eight years in, the state has increased the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Reporting Opens October 31
Federal Law Alert October 17th, 2023 Federal: EEO-1 Reporting Opens October 31 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that 2022 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection opens on October 31, 2023. The EEO-1 Component 1 report is a mandatory filing required of all private sector employers with 100 or more employees, and federal contractors and subcontractors with 50 or
California workers will see more paid sick time off under new law
California workers will see more paid sick time off under new law SACRAMENTO — California workers will be entitled to five paid sick days, up from the current three, under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. The state’s powerful labor unions lobbied heavily for the legislation, which stalled at the Capitol in previous years but gained momentum after the
California Updates Criminal History Regulations
State Law Alert September 18th, 2023 California Updates Criminal History Regulations California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) regulations will be updated as of October 1, 2023. The updated regulations govern how employers with five or more employees can use criminal history information when making employment decisions. Here are highlights of the changes: The definition of “applicant” will now include
What is pay transparency, and how does it help employers?
Sarah| PHR, SHRM-CP Pay transparency refers to sharing information about pay with applicants, employees, and possibly the entire world. While some states and localities require that employers include a pay range with job postings, many employers now choose to do this on their own to stay competitive. But pay transparency can be taken much further. Employers that really want to
Question: We would like to give candidates a “thank you” for interviewing with us. Can we provide a monetary gift to candidates for interviewing?
Question: We would like to give candidates a “thank you” for interviewing with us. Can we provide a monetary gift to candidates for interviewing? Answer: Yes. You can give a candidate a thank you gift, monetary or otherwise, when they interview with you. We would recommend establishing a process for providing thank you gifts to ensure consistency and equity in determining who
Federal DOL Announces Proposed Rule to Increase Exempt Employee Minimum Salaries
Federal Law Alert September 5th, 2023 Federal DOL Announces Proposed Rule to Increase Exempt Employee Minimum Salaries The federal Department of Labor (DOL) has finally announced the release of its proposed rule to increase the minimum salary required for certain employees to be classified as exempt from minimum wage and overtime. While we don’t usually report on proposed rules because they have a
California Minimum Wage Increase
State Law Alert July 31st, 2023 California Minimum Wage Increase On Monday, July 31, the California Department of Finance Director Joe Stephenshaw officially certified that beginning January 1, 2024, California’s minimum wage will increase from $15.50 per hour to $16 per hour for all employers, regardless of size. Per California’s Labor Code, once the state’s minimum wage reaches $15 per hour — which
Do we need to conduct an investigation if one of our employees has accused another employee of harassment at a non-work event?
Jenny | SPHR, SHRM-SCP Question: Do we need to conduct an investigation if one of our employees has accused another employee of harassment at a non-work event? Answer: Absolutely. It is important to remember that not all interactions between employees take place