Last week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that a Home Depot employee who had written “BLM” on his work apron in 2021, thus breaking the company dress code, had a right to this as political protection, and was awarded reinstatement with back pay.

Some employees can be irritating, some can be frustrating, others have difficult personalities. But a disruptive employee is a whole different matter. Disruptive employees are generally hard to manage and often create fear within your other employees. One final thing, from the disruptive employees that we at Sigma6 HR have had to deal with over the years, occasionally the most disruptive employees are actually in supervisory positions.

An exempt employee is exempt from overtime and most time keeping requirements. A non-exempt employee is one who must be paid overtime of time and a half. If they work more than 40 h in a 7-day work week. Additionally, proper timekeeping must be kept.

It has been estimated that 95% of the American workforce is not exempt. Therefore, we'll focus on what defines an exempt employee.

The U.S. Labor Department (DOL) last week proposed a new rule that if enacted will drastically change current overtime regulations. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) “covered employees”, (basically non-exempt), must be paid time-and-a-half for any hours worked more than 40 in a pay period week.

Writing an effective job description can help employers remain competitive as well as maintain managerial control over job functions. Additionally, a well-prepared job description can assist employers in hiring and advertisement of a job opening. Finally, in an employment issue, a signed job description can be used as a defense in a legal, workman’s compensation or unemployment dispute.

The PWFA provides that an employee or their representative can make the employer aware of the employee’s limitations. It also provides that an employer cannot require an employee to take a paid or unpaid leave of absence if another reasonable accommodation can be provided.

Non-compete agreements are being closely reviewed by the National Relations Labor Board (NLRB). The NLRB has jurisdiction over all businesses that have employees in the U.S, whether union or non-union.

Pay transparency laws generally require the employer to post the salary range for the location with the opening. If a position will be filled in a specific location, the posting only needs to provide the salary range applicable to that role in that location.