What is “at-will employment”? Does that mean I can fire an employee for any reason? Answer from Marisa, SPHR: At-will employment means that the employer or employee can end the employment relationship for almost any reason (with or without cause) at any time (with or without notice). It...
Can I limit the number of times an employee makes changes to their W-4? Answer from Margaret, PHR, SHRM-CP: No. IRS guidance states that an employee has the right to make changes to their Form W-4 as often as they would like, and you, as the employer,...
We recently had an open position that two employees were interested in. We’ve made our selection and our chosen employee accepted the role. How do we tell the other employee they were not selected? Answer from Laura, MA, SHRM-CP: We recommend having a face-to-face conversation with the...
Protected classes—also known as protected characteristics—come from several federal laws (about half are from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964). Although we’re usually talking about them with respect to employment, they may also come into play in housing, education, and public accommodations. The...
The last few years have proved challenging for employers trying to fill positions. Low unemployment, among other factors, made the job market much more friendly to jobseekers than to employers keen to hire them. In this highly competitive environment, some organizations upgraded their compensation packages...
Can an employee waive overtime pay with a signed letter? No. An employee can’t waive their right to overtime pay, even if they want to. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) prohibits the waiver of an employee's rights to overtime pay (and minimum wage) in...
While covering shifts for an employee on a leave of absence, we discovered errors in their work. How do we address their performance without seeming retaliatory for taking leave? Answer from Jenny, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: Taking disciplinary or corrective action following a leave of absence is going to...
We have received a lot of time off requests around the holidays, more than we can approve. Can we approve some but deny others? Answer from Kim, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: In general, yes. We recommend having a policy for time off that explains how employees can request time...
Lately, we’ve noticed employees using wearable devices while working. We have a policy that limits personal cell phone use at work. Can we expand that to include wearables like smartwatches? Answer from Eric, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: Yes, you can expand your policy to include wearables or other smart...
No. An employee wanting to change their hours because they got a second job is not something you’re required to accommodate. Even so, we wouldn’t recommend immediately giving the employee an ultimatum to keep working their current schedule or resign. Instead, we’d suggest talking with your...