Bud Bowlin has been advising business owners about health insurance and benefits for more than 35 years. For his 70th birthday, we gave him his own advice column. Got a burning benefits question for Bud? Send it to AskBud@zenefits.com. Dear Bud, I run an advertising agency in San Francisco with over 50 employees. Next year, we’re opening […]
There are a million different companies out there, but there’s one thing they all have in common: They rely on communication to drive business forward. From core values to culture practices, conflict resolution to recruiting, sharing the right message in the right way is crucial to running a successful company. Despite this, we all bungle communication […]
Short Answer There is no short answer, really, when it comes to employee recordkeeping, thanks to numerous federal acts like Americans with Disabilities Act](http://www.ada.gov/), [Fair Labor Standards Act](http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/), and [Family Medical Leave Act, to name just a few. General Rule As a general rule, you should keep records for the following years: – Personnel records […]
Short Answer The Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA)](http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/) doesnt have a specific definition of [part-time employment. Rather, it is left to employers to determine how many hours employees work each week. In-Depth Discussion Because its up to you to set a part-time employees hours, its also up to you to establish a protocol for violations […]
Generally, employees making minimum wage or greater may accept tips from customers. Heres an important tip for employersbetween direct wages and tipsmake sure that youre paying employees at least the federal minimum wage. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Sets the Standard The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) doesnt include any language that prohibits employees […]
Yes, you can require an independent contractor, direct employee, or any other type of employee to use direct deposit in place of a check. In fact, in some states, receiving direct deposits can be included as a condition of employment. The Fair Labor Standards Act is the federal act that outlines federal standards for paying […]
Keeping drug test results confidential is a good practice. Federal Laws The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988](http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/asp/drugfree/require.htm) requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to agree that theyll have a drug-free workplace. This condition is necessary to receive the contract or grant from a federal agency. The Department of Labor has a useful [tool […]
More often than not, you can assign specific lunch times for employees. Youll need to check your local laws to find out what the answer is for your company. Federal Laws According to the US Department of Labor, theres currently no federal law mandating employer-supplied breaks or lunchtimes. State Laws However, over two-thirds of states […]
There isnt a law that requires a job description in place for every role within a company, but having one is useful for compliance reasons. For instance, having a clear list of job responsibilities early on can make the measuring of performance later a much easier task. Drafting a job description may help you clarify […]
It depends on the situation. Generally, voluntary training that takes place outside of usual working hours isnt considered working hours, whereas required work training or training that occurs during usual working hours are considered to be payable working hours. FLSA Hours Worked Advisor The Fair Labor Standards Act](http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/) (FLSA) sets [regulations regarding which training hours […]
As an employer you’re able to make the decision to fire an employee at will for just about anything beyond the realm of protected characteristics (i.e., being over 40, belonging to a certain religion, race, etc.) But Its a Bad Practice Although theres no law against it, firing employees simply for asking for a raise […]
Overtime requirements vary from state to state. In this case, it may seem complicated due to the amount of clarifying terms involved: inside sales, full-time, salaried, and, non-exempt. It will make it much easier to understand that, in this instance, the most significant term in that group, for the purposes of calculating overtime, is non-exempt. […]