Blog

Keeping Halloween in the Workplace “Spook-Free”

Beware, Halloween is right around the corner! Haunted houses, never-ending trick-or-treaters, and late-night mischief are a few things that come to mind when thinking about Halloween. However; things like inappropriate and offensive costumes, safety hazards, and employees potentially hassling other employees for not participating at work are the spooky things that keep HR managers and … more »

New Overtime Laws Take Effect January 2020

The federal overtime provisions contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are applicable to most organizations and differentiate between two employment classifications: nonexempt employees who are eligible for overtime pay and exempt employees who are not. These provisions mandate that, unless employees are exempt from overtime laws, they must be paid overtime at a … more »

Pitfalls to Avoid When Completing a Performance Evaluation

Performance evaluations are part of the overall performance management process within any organization. Generally, the performance management process starts with the creation and implementation of a well-defined job description, then the assessment of an employee’s performance compared to the essential duties and responsibilities as stated in the job description, and then intertwines with a merit-based … more »

Salary Structures to Total Compensation Statements or Municipal Salary Ordinances

When organizations are thinking about developing salary structures within their workplace the first thing that they need to determine is their overall compensation philosophy. Does the organization want to pay at market, do they want to lead the market, or do they want to lag the market when it comes to base pay rates? Technically, … more »

The Importance of Tracking Labor Law Poster Changes and Recent Changes by State

Given the ever-changing list of employment laws that employers of all different sizes must follow, many may be wondering, do I have to purchase new labor law posters each year? This answer depends and may be a “yes” for some years, and “no” for others. The answer ultimately depends on when the federal government, state … more »

EEO-1 Survey Data and Recent Changes

An expanding company is always great news, but as many business owners, Presidents, and CEOs will admit, with growth comes many different responsibilities beyond those that were required when the company had fewer employees. Once a company’s number of employees grows beyond a certain number, additional responsibilities are required of the company by the government … more »

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Overview and Update

Following the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) in 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established by Congress with the purpose to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.” (https://www.osha.gov/about.html). In … more »

What Does “Employment-At-Will” Really Mean to Employers?

Employers who are located in an employment-at-will state may be quick to defend their right to terminate an employee at any time, for any reason, with or without notice. While the concept of employment-at-will gives employers this right, it is important for them to understand that the context of their words and actions, applicable state … more »

Student Loan Debt Repayment Options

The Employer Participation in Repayment Act (H.R. 1043), which is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 100 House members and a companion bill (S. 460) was reintroduced in the Senate with 18 cosponsors. The legislation would allow employers to give tax-free student loan assistance up to $5,250 a year per employee, the same amount that … more »

Proposed Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Overtime Rule

On March 7, 2019, the Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an updated overtime rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If the proposed overtime rule goes into effect, over one million workers who are not currently eligible for overtime pay may be eligible. … more »

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New Focus HR is a human resources consulting and training company that services all organizations. Our expert team collaborates with businesses to attract, motivate, retrain and retain their biggest assets, employees. While engaged with an organization, our focus is to find solutions that improve the company’s internal HR-related practices while increasing results at the same time! Our focus. Your results.

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