will Congress get rid of mandatory overtime pay? by Alison Green on April 24, 2017 Currently, millions of employees in the United States are required to be paid overtime (time and a half) if they work more than 40 hours in a given week. But a new bill in Congress proposes changing that and allowing employees to receive comp time (extra paid time off) instead of overtime payments. At U.S. News […] Read the full article →
my employee is refusing to travel because her husband said she can’t by Alison Green on March 27, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a manager who has an employee who recently (late last year) accepted a promotion that involves travel. It would be a maximum of one overnight monthly, but more typically one overnight per quarter. She accepted the position knowing that this level of travel would be required. However, she told me last […] Read the full article →
smelly essential oils at work … or what to do when employees’ medical needs conflict by Alison Green on February 28, 2017 A reader writes: I have a question about a colleague (not one of my employees). She wears a highly potent blend of essential oils, and has been moved to another floor in an attempt to mitigate the impact on another employee’s asthma. She firmly believes this treatment cured her of cancer and continues to keep […] Read the full article →
how is your company handling the halt to the new overtime rule? by Alison Green on November 30, 2016 A reader writes: My entire company rescinded the promised raises under the new FLSA guideline. I’d love to hear from other readers what their companies did – any chance we can get a thread this week on it? Yes indeed. To catch people up who may not be aware: A new overtime rule that would have […] Read the full article →
my company held a retreat in a Zika zone — and is charging people who didn’t go for their plane tickets by Alison Green on November 30, 2016 A reader writes: My company recently had their retreat in Miami, Florida. As you can imagine, there were several women who voiced concerns about having the retreat in an area that the CDC has actively discouraged women from traveling to because of Zika. Unfortunately, the company decided to move forward with the retreat location because […] Read the full article →
the new overtime rule is on hold by Alison Green on November 22, 2016 That new overtime rule that was coming next week that would have required an additional 4.2 million American workers to be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours in a week.? It’s been blocked for now. A Texas judge today issued a temporary injunction halting the rule nationwide. It’s not a permanent stop to it, just […] Read the full article →
are you ready for the new overtime law? by Alison Green on October 31, 2016 One month from tomorrow, on December 1, a major change to U.S. overtime laws will go into effect – and might result in changes in your paycheck and your work schedule. At U.S. News & World Report today, I talk about the new rule and answer a bunch of questions about it, including: What exactly […] Read the full article →
can you ask about mental health in job interviews? by Alison Green on September 14, 2016 A reader writes: I’ve just been put in charge of hiring a group of staff for a summer camp. I began managing this group of staff last May (and was thus not involved in the hiring process) and discovered that a couple staff members had some mental health issues that interfered with their job responsibilities. […] Read the full article →
interviewing a job candidate who won’t shake hands with women by Alison Green on September 7, 2016 A reader writes: A while ago, my group interviewed a candidate who did not shake the hands of the women he spoke with. His explanation was that he was Muslim. Of course, this is a very specific subgroup — many Muslim men have no issue shaking hands with women, especially in a professional setting. (This […] Read the full article →
I said “EEOC” and things got weird by Alison Green on August 31, 2016 A reader writes: I received a dinner invitation from my “big boss,” Niles. The invitation list included my supervisor, a colleague (who is junior to me in both experience and title), and that colleague’s supervisor, who I’d never met before. The colleague, Fergus, while in the same department, supports a different line of business and […] Read the full article →