Tips and Articles on HR Best Practices, HR Outsourcing, and HR Compliance
12 Signs Your HR Doesn't Understand Labor Law — and When to Bring In an HR Consultant
Underpaying HR doesn’t reduce risk; it guarantees it. Here are 12 signs your HR function doesn’t understand labor law, from wage-and-hour errors and missed ADA accommodations to retaliatory terminations, and when to bring in an HR consultant, outsourced HR director, or fractional CHRO.
Do Employers Have to Pay for On-Call Time? A Guide for Non-Exempt Employees
Employers must pay non-exempt employees for on-call time when restrictions on movement or response time prevent them from using that time for personal purposes. This guide covers the FLSA standard, exempt vs. non-exempt on-call roles in healthcare and human services, and states with stricter rules.
FLSA Travel Time: Employer Guide to Paid Commuting, Remote Work, and Special Assignments
FLSA travel time is far more complicated than most employers realize. The 2026 DOL opinion letters reshaped key rules for commuting, remote work, hybrid schedules, and special assignments — and small factual differences can completely change whether travel must be paid. Here’s what employers need to know now.
Can Employers Require Employees to Work Off the Clock? A Litigation‑Informed Guide for HR and Leadership
Off‑the‑clock work is never optional under the FLSA. If a nonexempt employee performs work, the employer must pay for it — authorized or not. Most violations come from workload pressure and manager habits, not intentional misconduct, and they quickly snowball into overtime exposure and litigation risk. The fix is structural: tighten policies, train managers, and ensure employees report all hours worked. Unpaid time isn’t a savings; it’s a growing liability.
Do We Have to Pay Employees for Meetings Outside of Work Hours? A Compliance Guide for Non‑Exempt Employees
Under the FLSA, mandatory meetings — including after‑hours gatherings, virtual check‑ins, and investigation interviews — are paid time for non‑exempt employees. If employees feel pressure to attend, the meeting is not optional, and the time counts toward overtime.
Paying Employees for Training: FLSA, Wage‑and‑Hour, and ADA Rules Employers Must Follow
Employers who rely on “credit hours” or off‑the‑clock training create classic FLSA exposure. Mandatory training, manager‑assigned modules, and any time spent troubleshooting or repeating LMS content must be paid based on actual time worked — not estimates. State laws are often even stricter, making unpaid training a fast path to wage‑and‑hour liability for multi‑state employers.
Can I Fire an Employee Who Keeps Calling Out?
Poor attendance isn’t just call‑outs — it’s lateness, policy violations, moonlighting fatigue, personal “emergencies,” and sometimes protected leave you didn’t know was protected. Here’s how employers can tell the difference and make defensible decisions.