Can we require employees to do extra work outside their scheduled hours? 

Answer from Sergio, SHRM-CP: Yes, but you have to pay for it. As an employer, you have control over schedules and can modify them as needed. That may mean scheduling additional work time for employees. A few things to note: For nonexempt employees, any extra work time...

Can we deny vacation requests?

Answer from Jenny, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: In general, yes. But you should have—and document—a legitimate business reason for doing so. Denying vacation requests will undoubtedly hurt morale, especially if it happens frequently, and low morale leads to higher rates of...

Can we require exempt, salaried employees to turn in time sheets?

Answer from Laura, MA, SHRM-CP: Yes. There are many reasons you might want or need to track exempt employee time. For example, you may opt to track an exempt employee’s hours for purposes of client billing, grant tracking, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA),...

If a holiday like New Year’s Eve falls on a weekend when we’re closed, and we typically give employees that holiday off, do we have to offer employees an alternative day off?

Answer from Emily, MBA, SPHR: No, the way you designate holiday closures is largely up to you. No federal law requires you to offer holidays off or offer alternative days off if you’re closed on a holiday (Massachusetts and Rhode Island both have laws that address...

What is a workweek? Is it just our hours of operation?

Answer from Kelley, PHR: A workweek is not the same thing as your hours of operation. Rather, it defines the 168-hour period (i.e., seven 24-hour days) in which you track your non-exempt employees’ time to determine whether they’re owed any overtime premium pay. The...

An employee worked unauthorized overtime. Do we have to pay them the time and a half for these hours?

Answer from Margaret, PHR, SHRM-CP: Yes. Any overtime worked by non-exempt employees must be compensated, regardless of whether the overtime was authorized. We recommend communicating with the employee about work expectations outside of their scheduled workday, making...