Are your employees passionate about a cause or do they want to volunteer at their kids’ reading day for an hour?  Then it’s time you look at offering VTO – Volunteer Time Off.  It is proven to improve employee engagement and productivity.  It is also great for your brand.

If an employee goes off on military leave, is the leave paid or unpaid?  It depends on how the company covers other comparable leaves for non-military reasons.

Intermittent FMLA is one of the most difficult issues for HR professionals.  It can be difficult to manage, and personal liability could attach if they interfere with FMLA leave.  Therefore, a conservative approach is recommended.  However, a recent Federal 6^th Circuit of Appeals case (which covers Michigan) may provide some helpful guidance.

Just as companies have adapted to remote work, a new development in workplace flexibility may be on the horizon: the four-day work week. In fact, two recent studies have shown that this work arrangement could offer significant benefits for both employers and employees.

As previously reported in EPTW, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) was considering whether an oil rig worker that could earn over $200,000 per year could be classified as exempt from overtime pay. Last week SCOTUS ruled that because the job’s compensation was based upon a day rate and not a bona fide salary under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the job could not be classified as exempt and therefore must be paid overtime for any hours worked over 40 in a week.

As college students end their school year, their attention may turn to internships and co-op programs. ASE’s 2023 Salaries for Co-op Students and Recent College Graduates Survey reports that 75% of respondents employ co-ops and/or interns.

In a world where the labor participation shortage is not going away, employers are looking for real ways to drive productivity, performance, retention of talent, and new strategies for attracting incoming generations. Just paying employees more is not driving major improvements and may not be financially sustainable over time. What else can be done?

Pay transparency is a rock rolling downhill that is picking up steam.  A number of jurisdictions have pay transparency laws with Illinois the latest state to require it.  The findings of a recent survey by Talent.com of 2,000 employees shows that 98% of job seekers in New York City want to know a position’s salary before they apply. A Monster research project had similar findings, and 53% said they wouldn’t apply for a job without pay transparency upfront. 

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta reports that wages for workers who remained at their employment increased 5.5% in November compared to a year earlier. 

Less than one-third of employees feel they are paid fairly, while just 34% of employees believe their pay is equitable, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc.                                   

U.S. employers are reshaping their performance management efforts and pay-for-performance programs to give them a much-needed boost, according to a new survey by WTW. The survey found just one in four employers (26%) reported being effective at both managing and paying for performance. The current way of doing things is broken.

With February 20, 2023, nearing and uncertainty of the appeal, consider preparing now for the Michigan Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Law by taking the following three steps:

A recent U.S. 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals case addressed this very question.  In Cadena et al. v. Customer Connexx LLC et al., No. 21-16522 (9th Cir. Oct. 24, 2022), the court had to determine when computer boot-up time is compensable.

Michigan repealed its prevailing wage law back in 2018. Previous to that, the prevailing wage law required businesses (primarily construction) doing work for the state, counties, or local municipalities to pay their workers at wage and fringe benefits rates determined by certain entities such as counties, the National Prevailing Wage Center, or other legitimate source.

Like it or not, employers should start to prepare for pay transparency.  Pay transparency is when employers are open about the salary they offer to both present and potential employees.  Some employers are being forced to share more due to recently enacted legislation.

The SHRM Better Workplaces on a Budget Recommendations report reveals the top drivers of employee turnover and offers specific strategies for addressing each of them. Many of these recommendations can be implemented with little to no additional budget.

Many human resources professionals have experienced the worker that for one reason or another gets fed up and just walks off the job. It’s unfortunate and disrupting but also sets the machinations of employment policy and law in motion. A recent Michigan Court of Appeals case affirms that employees that walk off the job not only voluntarily quit, but also disqualify themselves from unemployment compensation benefits.

Employers often ask ASE about breaks for non-exempt salaried or hourly employees and whether they must be paid. Generally, they should be paid if the break is less than 20 minutes in duration (Sec. 785.18 Rest). Meal periods of at least 30 minutes can be unpaid (Sec. 785.19 Meal).

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that abortion and access to abortion is not a constitutional right and reverted back to state laws for determining the legality of the procedure.  In other words, only states have the power to regulate abortion and access to it. 

While not a widely offered benefit, student loan repayment programs may be growing in popularity.  According to Forbes, there are approximately 44 million individuals that have student loan debt. 

California legislature passed S.B. 1162 and is currently waiting for the Governor’s signature, creating new obligations for California employers by amending the earlier pay reporting requirements. 

Does your organization award perfect attendance?  Is it done on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis?  And what does perfect attendance mean exactly?  Perfect attendance needs to also take into account the variety of days that should still be counted towards perfect attendance without penalizing the employee for taking them.

To prepare for open enrollment, group health plan sponsors should be aware of the legal changes affecting the design and administration of their plans for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2023. Employers should review their plan documents to confirm that they include these required changes.

As the great resignation continues and employees who leave get generally 6% growth in salary than those who stay, a lot of people have argued that wage growth is the key driver of inflation.  However, not yet as many economists say the same.  

Earlier this year, the OFCCP released Directive 2022-01: Advancing Pay Equity Through Compensation Analysis.  There was a lot of controversy over the directive, both with respect to expected analysis and analysis to be submitted when a compliance officer requested it.  For the latter, the agency generated discord in the compliance sector, because it was seemingly saying attorney/client privilege can be overturned by the agency.