Our busy season starts next month. Is there anything we can do to help our employees reduce their stress?
Answer from Jenny, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: There is! Here are a few things you can do to make the busy season run as smoothly and stress-free as possible: Remove or reassign non-essential work duties: Before the busy season begins, ask employees to make a list of tasks that...
Tips for Tracking Employees’ Hours
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that employers track hours worked by nonexempt employees, who typically are paid by the hour. Although you can choose your own timekeeping system, it’s essential that the records you keep are accurate and complete. System...
How to Figure Retroactive Pay
Retroactive, or retro, pay is money due to an employee for work already performed but paid at a lower rate. Most commonly, it is linked to late performance appraisals, in which the employee received a pay increase that took effect in a prior pay period. Employees who...
New Minimum Salary for Exempt Employees and Wage increase for Federal Contractors
Reminder—New Minimum Salary for Exempt Employees Starting January 1, 2020, most employees who are classified as exempt under the executive, administrative, professional, and computer employee exemptions will need to be paid at least $684 per week or $35,568 per year....
5 Mandatory Registrations for Employers
Below are five common mandatory registrations for employers. 1. Federal Employer Identification Number To do business as an employer, you must obtain an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service. An EIN consists of nine digits and is unique to...
During an exit interview, a departing employee accused one of our managers of harassment. Should we investigate even though the accuser is no longer employed here? The manager has been with us a long time, and we’ve never heard any complaints about him before.
Answer from Celine, SHRM-CP: Yes, I would recommend investigating the allegations even though the accusing employee has left the organization. If your investigation shows that harassment occurred, I would recommend taking disciplinary action as appropriate. ...
New 2020 Form W-4
The 2020 Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, is very different from previous versions. This is due to the federal tax law changes that took place in 2018. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is not requiring all employees to complete the revised...
We received a wage garnishment for child support that the employee doesn’t want us to follow. What should we do?
Answer from Laura, SHRM-CP: Valid wage garnishments need to be followed regardless of the affected employee's feelings on the matter. In this case, you should go ahead and follow the instructions from the garnishing agency, withholding and sending them the specified...
Can we send employees home early because there isn’t any work to do?
Answer from Angela, SPHR: Yes, you can send employees home early due to a lack of work. Just keep in mind that exempt employees would need to be paid their entire salary for the day. Non-exempt employees would only need to be paid for actual hours worked, unless you...
I’ve heard serving alcohol at company parties can be a liability. What steps can we take to protect our organization and our employees?
Answer from Daniel, SHRM-CP: Yes, alcohol can be a liability. Partygoers who overindulge could cause an accident or act in ways that violate your harassment policy. Here are some practices you might consider: Employers may be liable for employee misconduct and...