Potential Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations might seem like straightforward black-and-white issues. Often, though, they are not. The FMLA contains many complex and nuanced elements. That is especially true if your FMLA matter involves an exceptional circumstance, such as when the family member requiring care is a military…
One of the more thorny Fair Labor Standards Act issues for employers is ensuring proper compensation of employees who spend time doing activities that are essential but tangential to their jobs. Even if workers spend only minutes each day on these activities, the law says they are entitled to payment…
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping array of executive orders on the first day of his second term in office. One that has received much of the spotlight was Executive Order (EO) Number 14168, entitled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” The…
New technologies affect all aspects of our work lives. Workers who once wrote their clock-in and clock-out times on paper cards eventually began “punching” in and out using automated machines. Later, they clocked in and out on special electronic timekeeping machines, and eventually, timekeeping became a computerized function. With each…
A new bill pending in the Georgia Legislature would end a decades-old practice of employers legally paying some workers a wage well below the federal minimum. The legislation currently pending in the state senate is a reminder that, like all aspects of the law, wage and hour law is constantly…
Many variables may influence the eventual outcome when you decide to pursue (or need to defend) a Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) retaliation case. One that can sometimes be overlooked is where the case gets litigated. As a recent FMLA retaliation case from Oklahoma illustrates, the law is not…
When you pursue or defend an unpaid overtime case under the Fair Labor Standards Act, there are a lot of variables and uncertainties. One thing that is certain, in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, is the standard of proof that applies when the dispute centers around…
Some employees work at the same location, performing the same role every day. A lot of workers, however, do not. They may work for their employer in multiple locations and perform various roles. Employees in this latter category may be at an exceptionally high risk of suffering the harm of…
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) published a fact sheet regarding certain protections that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) affords workers who take covered leave. One of the keys is that the FMLA “provides job-protected leave from work.” That protection means not…
Today, relationships are more complex than ever — including familial interactions and duties. An adult incapable of caring for herself may rely on a niece/nephew, sibling, cousin, or other non-parental relative to meet all her care needs. When that happens, the caregiver may need periods away from work. Workers and…