30 Dec

Posted at 23:24h in Human Resources White Papers by . .
HR Compliance Bulletin header image

On Dec. 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-7, which addresses when the DOL will consider electronic posting by employers (by email, or an internet or intranet website) sufficient to provide employees with required notice of their statutory rights under a variety of federal labor laws.

The Bulletin was issued in response to employer questions about the use of electronic means to post notices under the following laws, as more employees work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

30 Dec

Posted at 22:22h in Human Resources White Papers by . .
Legal Update Header

On Dec. 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-8 to provide enforcement guidance regarding the use of telemedicine when establishing a serious health condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

FMLA Eligibility

FMLA job protections are available to eligible employees who need to take time off work due to their own serious health condition or the serious health condition of a spouse, child or parent.

11 Dec

Posted at 16:31h in Human Resources White Papers by . .
Legal Update Header

On Nov. 30, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued two opinion letters to help employers understand how to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime wage payment requirements for piece-rate and agricultural employees.

Opinion letters provide the DOL’s official position on how labor and employment standards apply in specific situations.

13 Nov

Posted at 18:20h in Human Resources White Papers by . .
Legal Update Header

On Nov. 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published two new opinion letters providing the DOL’s official position on how the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) applies to employee pay when there is work-related travel or employee training.

Voluntary Training Programs

The FLSA requires employers to compensate their employees for all hours of work. While the FLSA does not define what qualifies as “work,” the U.S. Supreme Court has determined that employees should be compensated for any time that “is spent predominantly for the employer’s benefit.”

06 Nov

Posted at 18:07h in Human Resources White Papers by . .

HR Compliance Bulletin header imageThe U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) final rule on defining and delimiting the exemptions for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales and computer employees (EAP employees) became effective Jan. 1, 2020. Among other things, the final rule updated the standard salary level employees must satisfy to qualify for an overtime exemption.

The final rule also allows employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10% of the standard salary level if these payments are made at least on an annual basis. To enable compliance with the nondiscretionary bonus option, the final rule allows employers to make a “catch-up” payment at the end of each 52-week period. This Compliance Overview explains how this provision can be used.