The Employer Handbook Blog
Yesterday, I snuck this little doozie onto The Employer Handbook Facebook Fan Page.
Articles Posted in Employees
Another appellate court dropkicks the DOL’s unpaid-internship test
“So, dynamic, Eric. Is there anything you can’t do?”
Oh, hey there. Didn’t see you come in. You probably didn’t come here to read about Law360 naming me one of the 20 attorneys who are killing it on Twitter. (You can follow me here).
No, you’re looking for some Fair Labor Standards Act goodies. Well, I’ve been known to “prolifically tweet[] about news and issues affecting labor and employment, from links to interesting articles to posting [my] personal take on developing stories.” In case you didn’t know. But, enough about my Twitter crown. Let’s keep it here at the award-winning The Employer Handbook, and talk about internships.
Third Circuit Employment Law 101: Independent Contractor or Employee
Back when I first started this blog, when I believed that my blogging success would translate into Aston Martins and beach homes, rather than “Can you please email me a copy of your FMLA PowerPoint?”, I had a series of “Third Circuit Employment Law 101” posts. Well, I don’t think I’ve done a “101” post for nearly 5 years. Time to break that streak.
Oh, hold on a sec, I need to respond to another PowerPoint-request email…
If you thought you knew when to pay (or not pay) an intern, think again.
A federal appellate court just blew up the U.S. Department of Labor’s spot. Allow me to explain in slightly less colloquial fashion.
Five ways for proactive employers to prepare now for the new OT rules
Hey lawyer! Drop the selfie stick and slowly back away…
Somewhere between the time that I took this selfie at the start of my FMLA/ADA session at the 2015 SHRM Annual Conference, and a few minutes later when the laptop with my PPT lost power (so, right when my bowels gave out heart sank and I openly wept), the US Department of Labor decided it was time to propose some new overtime rules.
What can I say? The gods of good timing really pissed in my Cheerios yesterday.
(Special shout-out to the SHRM IT support team that had me up and running again with a minute, and to the awesome SHRM audience that never lost faith in the kid).
Here’s a brief recap of the proposed OT rule change: Continue reading
Just how nervous should companies be about FLSA lawsuits over employee smartphone use? (Hint: very)
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.”
(I’m pretty sure that was from Ferris Bueller)
Yesterday, in the Wall Street Journal, I read Lauren Weber’s article “Can You Sue the Boss for Making You Answer Late-Night Email?” And the answer is yes, provided that you are a non-exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the time you spend answering that email is more than a few minutes a week. It’s no different than when an employee checks company email at work. Work is work. Employees get paid to work. Continue reading
We now have an employee/independent contractor test in NJ for wage and hour
Oyez oyez.
The New Joisy Supreme Court just fashioned a test to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor for purposes of resolving a wage-payment or wage-and-hour claim. And, shockingly, it doesn’t involve jughandles, diners, or Taylor Ham.
(I live in NJ now, so I can say that stuff and get away with it).
I’ve got all the details after the jump…
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The hella-best post you’ll read today on yesterday’s Supreme Court employee-pay opinion
When you’re part of the bloggerati, just one half-step below the illuminati, well, let’s just say membership has its privileges. AMEX taupe card, rinkside seats to the local roller derby, earlybird specials, the world is your oyster.
And, at work, the staff sees me coming and runs the other way throngs to my office. Indeed, it’s gotten so bad, that we had to install security machines to control ingress and egress. While my firm can’t wait for me to jump ship loves the attention that my blog brings — remember you can vote for my blog in the ABA Blawg 100 — the folks who sign my mega-paycheck expressed concern that it would also have to compensate our non-exempt employees for the spent clearing security.
Thankfully, yesterday, the Supreme Court, in this opinion, unanimously ruled that the time these folks spend clearing security is not compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act. That’s because the time our staff spends waiting in line to clear security is neither indispensable nor integral to their principal activities in the office. They get paid to do legal work; not wait in line. And, absent the security, these folks could still do their jobs. And, even though my firm requires our awesome staff to clear security because of my blogging greatness and related fame and notoriety, the Portal-to-Portal Act exempts employers from FLSA liability for this this preliminary and postliminary time.
CHEATSHEET: How to pay employees for Daylight Savings Time work
Yesterday, I read this post from Sara Hutchins Jodka at Employer Law Report about how to pay employees for Daylight Savings Time work and comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Then I ate a big bowl of pulled pork and I thought to myself, “Damn, I’m feeling lazy tonight! With the bazillion posts that I’ve published — and for which none of my freeloading readers have ever offered to pay — there must be a Daylight Savings FLSA post I can recycle.”
…and