ACN Updates
Roundup: Human Resources
Published: February 07, 2017
Is your human resources department in a good place? Connections has you covered. Log in using your Applied Client Network website credentials to access this month’s content, as well as plenty of archived material to suit your professional needs. Bookmark Connections for ease — new insights arrive weekly!
By Charlotte Jensen, vice president, HR Compliance – Affinity HR Group, Inc.
Employment-related lawsuits have been climbing steadily for years, as have government enforcement actions and penalties for violations. So, it is more important than ever to make a commitment to protect your business by ensuring compliance with regulations governing the workplace. Here are five compliance hot spots for your 2017 priority list:
- Job descriptions. Review job descriptions to ensure they still accurately reflect what each employee actually does, and particularly whether a job has evolved into a non-exempt position.
- Handbooks. Review your handbook for legal updates and to ensure it continues to reflect the actual practices and values of the business.
- I-9 forms. In late 2016, the federal government published a revised I-9 form that is largely designed to make electronic completion easier. Audit all employee 1-9s to ensure that every employee has a form on file.
- Harassment training. A well-written policy against harassment that is frequently communicated and coupled with periodic employee training can help employers defend themselves in a harassment claim.
- Managing poor performers. Evaluate how your managers handle poor performers to give meaningful feedback and prevent future conflicts.
Read the full article on Connections to ensure you meet compliance requirements.
By Charlotte Jensen, vice president, HR Compliance – Affinity HR Group, Inc.
With the deadline for the new overtime rules here — they went into effect Dec. 1 — many employers are looking at converting salaried/exempt employees to hourly in order to stay in compliance with the new, higher pay threshold of $47,476 a year. What they may not know, however, is that calculating hourly pay and overtime, and staying compliant with the law, is not as easy as it may seem.
To be sure, it involves more than simply deciding what an employee's hourly rate will be and then multiplying that by 1.5 for any overtime hours worked.
Many employers don’t realize that when calculating "time-and-a-half" the Department of Labor instructs them not to base it on the employee's hourly rate but, instead, on the employee's "regular rate of pay." This includes the employee’s base hourly rate plus any commissions, non-discretionary bonuses, shift and other differentials. In other words, amounts paid to an employee that are guaranteed/promised/expected based on hours worked, productivity, quality or quantity of work, and other non-discretionary criteria generally must be included in overtime calculations.
Understand the new overtime rules in this thorough Connections article.
Connections Editor