New I-9 Form The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, on Monday, July 17. Employers will be able to use this revised version immediately, but may continue using the Form I-9 with a revision date of 11/14/16 through September 17, 2017. Beginning September 18, employers must use the revised form […]
Question: We have an employee who has an illness covered by the Americans with Disability Act. The employee provided us with a letter from her doctor stating that she needs to be able to work from home 2 to 3 days per week. This employee is a Team Lead and we need her to be in […]
Question: What is the purpose of a performance improvement plan? Can’t we just terminate employment for poor performance? Answer: The use of a performance improvement plan (PIP) can help reduce the risk inherent in any termination. A PIP is used to help employees whose performance has slipped, become inconsistent, or otherwise needs improvement. It’s safest to terminate […]
Question: A non-exempt employee, forgetting that a meeting offsite had been cancelled, clocked in at the office and then drove to the meeting. He was halfway to the location before he remembered the cancellation. He then returned to the office and clocked out. His clock time came to 25 minutes. Since he had been notified of […]
Question: One of our employees refuses to sign the handbook. What should we do with him? Answer: First things first, talk to him about why he doesn’t want to sign the handbook. There may be an easily resolved misunderstanding about what his signature on this document means. If that conversation doesn’t solve the problem, and you […]
Employee turnover is expensive—more so than you might think. According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost-per-hire is $4,129. However, turnover costs can vary depending on the length of time it takes to fill the role, the importance of the position to the employer, and the employer’s industry. […]
Make sure you’re calculating overtime pay on workweek basis, not a pay period basis. Non-exempt employees must be paid time and a half for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek, regardless of total hours worked in the pay period. The workweek is the 7-day, 168-hour period during which you track employee time to […]
On April 4th, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals became the first federal Appellate Court to rule that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sex includes sexual orientation. The Court’s ruling creates law only in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Every other Circuit Court of Appeals, except for the Ninth Circuit, has […]
Today is Workaholics Day! By definition, a “workaholic” is a person addicted to their work. While dedication is certainly an admirable trait, a healthy work-life balance is also important. For all the workaholics of the world, today is the day to step back and take it easy. If you fall into this category, take an […]
