Learn strategies on effective compliance with wage and hour requirements.

Wage and hour violations continue to occupy a large portion of the enforcement agenda of the United States Department of Labor. In past years, investigations have resulted in the issuance of findings that employers have failed to comply with federal wage and hour laws to the tune of $74 million in back wages for more than 102,000 workers. Because such high costs of noncompliance can also include significant interest and penalty/fine assessments, employers must be a in their compliance efforts to avoid federal and state wage and hour compliance audits. This topic will provide strategies on effective compliance with wage and hour requirements, discuss how employers can stay on top of compliance issues with occasional self-audits of their operations, and provide other practical suggestions on how best to ensure that your payroll practices continue to meet all wage and hour requirements at both the federal and state levels.

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to difference between an exempt versus a nonexempt employee.
• You will be able to define what an employee versus an independent contractor is.
• You will be able to identify the telltale signs of possible misclassification of your employees.
• You will be able to discuss the most effective ways of conducting a self-audit to avoid possible wage and hour compliance problems.

Agenda

Creating Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance Strategies

• Determining Employee vs. Independent Contractor Status
• Proving Exempt vs. Nonexempt Status to Prevent Misclassification Claims
• Avoiding Overtime Compliance Allegations and Preventing off the Clock Claims

Conducting Your Own Internal Wage and Hour Audit

• Things to Look for While Doing Your Self-Audit
• Questions to Ask During Your Self-Audit
• Strategies for Addressing Possible Existing Wage and Hour Violations
• Settling Back Pay Claims and Allegations

Wage and Hour Law Update

• Recent Supreme Court Decisions on What Time Is Compensable for Employees
• Upcoming Changes to Salary Test for Determining Exempt vs. Nonexempt Status
• The Joint Employer Trend and Its Use as an Enforcement Tool for the U.S. Department of Labor