Avoid Wage and Hour Claims- At all costs!

Wage and Hour law suits are rising at an alarming rate. Why? We believe it is due to the complexity of the issue; as well as businesses not understanding what to do, or how to manage the issue. Remember, ignorance is not a defense. Saying ”I did not know", won't fly in most cases. Analysis of court filings show that wage and hour claims have risen 500% since the year 2000.

For a company to avoid the risk of wage and hour violations it is important to have the right people, policies and procedures working for them. There are specific records and employee data that are required by state and federal law. Here are 3 samples of "best practices" to help avoid wage and hour issues.

1. Job Description: Please do not try to write these yourself if you are not a trained professional. What you may think is a great Job Description, might be the beginning of your very own nightmare. There are some very specific items that should be in each Job Description and it should be tailored to each job.

2. Time Tracking: There are a million systems out there and they are all good. However, they all have the same flaw - if they are not used properly by the company and the employees, it could be hard to recover. Great time tracking policies and procedures should be developed, tested and implemented.

3. Central Documentation: All policies and procedures should be house in one central and accessible place for all employees. The Employee Handbook should be well written, have the policies and procedures, and most important should actually be used as a living breathing document.

Rick Maher

CEO

Turning Point HCM

www.TurningPointHCM.com