Last month, the New York State Legislature passed a new bill that guarantees farm workers in New York State receive overtime, rest periods and other protections. The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act allows farm workers to be eligible for overtime, worker's compensation, unemployment and the ability to participate in collective bargaining.

In one of the worst cases of government corruption, U.S. Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham pleaded guilty of receiving nearly $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. Investigators uncovered a “bribe menu” detailing how much was received for various contracts, including $16 million in contracts in exchange for a $140,000 boat.

Often called the Copeland (Anti-kickback) Act, this act makes it unlawful for employers to receive kickbacks from employees on federally funded projects. Contracts subject to the Copeland Act need to contain a clause requiring contractors and subcontractors to comply with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor under the Copeland Act.

Complete Payroll takes our clients' data security and privacy very seriously. That is why we are sharing some helpful tips with you to increase your cyber awareness knowledge to protect yourself.  These are just a handful of behaviors you should train yourself to include in your daily rituals.

Anyone can learn to file Certified Payroll with the Department of Labor, but there are a lot of mistakes that can ruin your hard work! Certified Payroll mistakes can cost your company money and hurt your chances of getting federally-funded construction contracts. In a worst-case scenario, filing inaccurate Certified Payroll documents can even lead to prosecution and imprisonment.

In today’s competitive job market, employers look to hire well-qualified, diverse, talented, skilled, experienced, and educated candidates for job positions.  Often, job postings and requirements specify minimum qualifications for prospective candidates to satisfy in order to be considered. Many employers are aware of the risk of discrimination claims affecting those from protected classes, and education background is one hiring criterion that is easily taken for granted. 

Congratulations!  The hard part is over—you’ve finally hired someone.  You now have a new “employee.”  That means you need to give the person the tools to be the best employee he or she can be, and that process starts on Day One.

Traditionally, employers offered separate paid time off benefits to employees, such as paid vacation, sick leave and personal days.  However, in the past decade, many companies have moved to a more flexible Paid Time Off or “PTO” benefit that incorporates all policies into one all-inclusive PTO plan. The debate as to whether employers benefit from offering PTO versus separate vacation, sick and personal leave plans is constantly being researched. In an effort to assist employers in making an informed decision in this regard, below are some advantages and disadvantages of combining the company’s separate paid time off benefits into a single Paid Time-Off (PTO) plan.

To be classified as exempt, the employee’s job generally must satisfy both a salary basis test and a duties basis test. Exempt employees generally must be paid on a salary basis, meaning they must be paid a fixed salary each week. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) enforces regulations that define the salary basis requirement to satisfy the exempt status tests. Exempt, Administrative, Executive, and Professional employees must be paid a predetermined amount each pay period that is at least the minimum weekly salary required by the regulations. The current federal minimum is $455 per week (expected to be ~$679 starting in January 2020). However, some states require a significantly higher minimum weekly salary to satisfy this test (New York is among them). The amount paid may not be reduced because of a variation in the quality or quantity of the work performed. 

Human resources covers a lot of territory—much of it cluttered with paperwork—but it really does have a precise business purpose. The point of HR is to make employment more profitable. HR does this in three fundamental ways. First, HR protects the organization against employment-related lawsuits and fines. Second, it reduces the costs of employment. And third, it maximizes employee productivity. In short, HR helps the employer save money and make money in all things related to employment.