Clinical staffing problems for Pennsylvania healthcare facilities created by shortages of nursing professionals will be greatly exacerbated by a new law prohibiting mandatory overtime for employees engaged in direct patient care. The Commonwealth is already facing a nursing shortage, which is growing worse. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an arm of the
Employer’s Guide to the Election
The election rhetoric has been relatively quiet on employment-related topics, except for the brief mention in the last debate. Candidate Obama has a clear agenda employment legislation based on his co-sponsorship of various bills and other media comments. Candidate McCain’s position is less clear. Detailed below is a summary of the key legislative initiatives considered by Congress in
Bosses do not Deserve RESPECT
October 16th is the annual celebration of Boss’s Day, which has traditionally been the day for employees to “thank their boss for being kind and fair throughout the year”. In most workplaces, it is clear who is a boss and who is not. The boss is the one who tells you what to
Managing a Business and its Employees in Financial Crisis Requires Communication from HR
The specter of business failure and personal financial setbacks wreak havoc on employee morale challenging Human Resources with dual management problems. First, HR needs to formulate a communication strategy to address the concerns of employees surrounding job security and compensation. Employee jitters surround the viability of their employer and the security of their jobs. Retirement savings evaporate as
Making Sure Your “HEART” Is In The Right Place When It Comes To Soldier-Employee’s Benefits
On June 17, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008 (the "HEART Act"). The HEART Act extends or modifies several tax and retirement benefits for active-duty and former military service members, and employers and plan administrators should be familiar with its provisions.
Retirement Plans
Currently, for
Electronic Monitoring of Teleworkers
John Phillips at The Word on Employment Law posted about the “Electronic Leash” and cites to a Wall Street Journal post by Sue Shellenbarger that conjures up visions of 1850 sweatshops with following description of employer’s exploitive electronic monitoring of home workers:
In a budding trend some employment experts say is invasive, companies
FLSA causes Global Warming: Sixteen Other Reasons to Consider a 4-day Work Week
It’s no secret that the FLSA is anachronistic, but now it’s ruining the planet too. The 40-hour week divided into 5 consecutive workdays is a product of the FLSA, which was enacted in 1938. During the last 70 years, we have been consuming energy by commuting to work and operating facilities all the while pumping green
Overtime Exempt Status: Don’t Forget About State Law (Especially When Dealing With Computer Employees)
Most Pennsylvania employers and their counsel are familiar with the overtime compensation requirements and the exemptions from these requirements established by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"). The exemptions, such as the bona fide executive, professional, and administrative employee exemptions, define when employers may lawfully treat certain employees as exempt from the FLSA’s overtime compensation
Switching to a Paid Time Off Program (PTO) has Practical and Legal Implications
Traditional leave programs segregate time off into categories like vacation, sick time and personal time requiring HR professionals to track both the time off and the reason it is being taken. Sick time abuses are addressed by tightly monitoring the reasons for sickness-related absences and disciplining employees for excessive absenteeism. Many employers have decided to get away
Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Increases for Small Employers and Trainees:
“Small Employer” minimum wage increases to $7.15 per hour effective July 1, 2008
All employers in Pennsylvania must pay the state’s minimum wage of $7.15 per hour based on the expiration of the Small Employer exemption. Previously, an employer who had an employee complement composed of the equivalent of 10 or less full-time employees had a