The Employer Handbook Blog

A one-time Associate General Counsel and HR Director who was at the Capitol riots appears to be unemployed now.

January 8, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: @SollenbergerRC on Twitter

Remember that time in 2017 when a white nationalist march in Charlottesville turned deadly? Several participants ended up losing their jobs once exposed on social media.

Fast forward. Following Wednesday’s violent Capitol riots, a staff writer at Salon tweeted that the one-time Associate General Counsel and HR Director of a publicly-traded Texas-based insurance company, who apparently posted a video of himself on Instagram from outside the Capitol, no longer works there.

What’s the big difference between an independent contractor and an employee anyway?

January 7, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Tug of War by Creative Mania from the Noun Project

Sam spent 60 hours working on a project for your company last week, for which the business paid Sam $1,000. The company treated Sam as an independent contractor.

But, what if Sam was actually an employee instead? Continue reading

Court: Warning! Employer may have violated WARN with mass layoff with little-to-no notice during pandemic

January 6, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

By Unknown author – From the Open Clip Art Gallery – http://openclipart.org/, CC0, Link

See what I did there? Don’t worry; I’ll be here all week. Continue reading

Here’s how to compensate employees that split their day between the office and telework

January 5, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Carlos Insignares from Pixabay

Let’s say that some of your non-exempt employees choose to telework for part of the day and work at the office for part of the day, with enough time to perform personal tasks in between. Do you have to compensate them for the travel time between home and office?

Let’s check out some hypothetical scenarios.

The DOL spent NYE updating its FFCRA guidance and issuing new wage and hour letters

January 4, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Dance Party by Blaise Sewell from the Noun Project

While you were busy partying at home like it’s 1999 (cue music) or on Zoom with friends, or playing socially-distanced Cards Against Humanity, or whatever it is that HR folks do to let off a year of scalding-hot steam, the U.S. Department of Labor was staying busy at work on New Year’s Eve.

The most-read The Employer Handbook blog posts of 2020

December 31, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

For most, 2020 was a big dumpster fire.
Continue reading

Brand new DOL guidance and the rest of what’s on tap for today’s “Zoom Office Hour” at Noon EST

December 30, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

JMacPherson from Calgary, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I won’t judge you if you don’t judge me. 🤐 Continue reading

The nerds, err, readers have spoken! I’ll see you on Zoom on Wednesday (12/30) at Noon Eastern.

December 29, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

working hours by ProSymbols from the Noun Project

Yesterday, I put out some feelers — Title VII friendly ones — to gauge interest in hosting “The Employer Handbook Office Hours” on Zoom tomorrow. And I was overwhelmed by the reader emails, fresh-baked cookies, and cryptocurrency. So, we’re on for tomorrow at Noon EST. Continue reading

Last night, President Trump signed the COVID-19 stimulus package into law after all.

December 28, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by ahmad triyawan from Pixabay

I love my blog readers, but clients get the concierge treatment with daily blog posts and weekly email updates. Last night’s client email update included the news that President Trump had just signed the legislation about which I blogged here and here last week.

Heads up! The DOL wants new rules for tipped employees, including tip pools with the back of the house.

December 24, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you operate a restaurant or other establishment with tipped employees, the odds are that wage and hour laws have not been your top priority in 2020 — as opposed to, say, staying afloat.

It’s been a tough year. Continue reading