This is the time of year when students looking to explore a career interest or to gain experience are applying for unpaid summer internships. As employers consider “hiring” interns, they should bear certain rules in mind in order to avoid running into problems with the U.S. Department of Labor or the IRS. It is easy […]
Now is the Time to Make Sure That Your Independent Contractors are Really Independent Contractors and Not Employees
Most businesses have figured out that W-2 employees must have taxes deducted from their paychecks, and that the business must remit a variety of employee and employer taxes to various governmental authorities on behalf of each of its employees. This means that the employer must keep track of the taxes that are deducted from each […]
How Much Time Off is Reasonable for a Religious Accommodation Under Title VII?
Title VII is the federal body of law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, race, color, national origin or religion. Title VII also bars retaliation against someone for having alleged such discrimination. This is the body of law on which employees typically rely when, for example, they ask to be excused from work […]
Is a Secretary Exempt from Overtime Pay?
One of the common mistakes made by employers is assuming that office workers are exempt from payment of overtime wages simply because they are “white collar”. The typical scenario is that a secretary is hired at a specified monthly salary, sits at a desk, wears nice clothes, is given a professional sounding title, and is […]
Employment Basics for Small Businesses
Over the years, many start-up businesses have asked what they need to do to begin setting up their human relations policies. While small businesses often don’t have the wherewithal to develop detailed human relations policies – and almost certainly don’t have a full-time human relations director – some steps should be taken early on to […]
