The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $259 million in back wages for nearly 177,000 employees in fiscal year 2025, the most since 2019. The lion’s share – more than $184 million – involved violations of…
Employment Law
A policy rollout usually feels finished the day attestation hits 100%. The handbook is updated, the acknowledgment form is signed and HR moves on to the next priority. Then, a few months later, a supervisor handles a situation the old…
How much might an employer have to pay when it fails to reinstate striking employees? NLRB Region 6 has approved a $3.66 million settlement with Langeloth Metallurgical Co. It resolves allegations that the company failed to reinstate, or delayed reinstating,…
Some employees are afraid to tell you about misconduct they've seen or experienced. And the silence can have even greater consequences than the actual misbehavior. Fifty-five percent of employees experienced or witnessed misconduct, up 14 points in two years, according to HR Acuity's Harassment…
Employers participating in E-Verify can use an expanded report to identify current employees who may require Form I-9 reverification. The Department of Homeland Security recently expanded the E-Verify Status Change Report to include invalidated employment authorization documents (EADs) in the…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) debarred a Louisiana farmer from the H-2A visa program for one year after investigators found violations involving job terms and worker pay. The H-2A visa program allows agricultural employers facing a shortage of domestic…
A speak-up culture is hard to measure, and few numbers make compliance leaders more uneasy than their hotline report count. A spike can feel like a crisis. A quiet year can feel like a win. Both reactions can be wrong.…
A harassment investigation often starts at the least convenient moment. A complaint shows up in an email, a hallway conversation or a hotline report, and from that moment the clock is running. What HR does in the first few days,…
Misclassifying employees as independent contractors can leave employers facing significant wage-and-hour liability. DMV Protection LLC is a security service company that provides security personnel for clients. Except for the owner, everyone at DMV – from security guards to the director…
What if a benefits platform is the barrier preventing an employee from accessing benefits? As new tech tools become part of routine workplace processes, HR has to stay alert for compliance risks those technologies may introduce. Case in point: Pearson…
At what level of authority does a manager become exempt from overtime? A federal judge in Maine approved an $8.875 million settlement involving salaried department managers at Hannaford Supermarkets. The managers, who oversaw the bakery, deli, produce and meat departments,…
A rejected candidate asks why they never made it past the first round. An employee wants to know why they were passed over for promotion. A manager relies on an AI-generated performance summary that no one can explain. In each…
Employers sponsoring pre-approved 401(k) and other defined contribution plans can begin filing for individual determination letters starting Oct. 1, 2026, under the IRS's fourth remedial amendment cycle. The adoption deadline for Cycle 4 pre-approved plans is Sept. 30, 2028 –…
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new opinion letter addressing tip-pooling rules for supervisors who also perform tipped work under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The issue: Whether the FLSA allows a restaurant supervisor who also bartends…
A restaurant chain has paid $618,666 in back wages to 779 employees and an additional $100,000 in penalties after the Department of Labor (DOL) found wage and child labor violations across 13 South Carolina locations. The DOL found several violations…
Paying employees a “monthly salary” doesn’t automatically shield employers from wage and hour compliance obligations required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as a recent six-figure settlement shows. A recent Department of Labor (DOL) investigation determined a Florida…
