“Quick question…” Those two words have become increasingly popular as our near-constant attachment to communication devices blurs the line between work and personal time. Whether by phone, laptop, or tablet; via Slack, WhatsApp, or Google Chat, it’s easier than ever...
Benefits & Compensation
Employee Wage Discussions with Ally Dagnino
Read The CEDR Wage Discussion Blog If you have any questions about anything in this video, don’t hesitate to reach out. CEDR members can reach us directly support@cedrsolutions.com If you are interested in learning about CEDR’s services, please schedule an appointment...
To Bonus, or not to Bonus?
I was talking about staff raises with several colleagues the other day, and one of them mentioned an alternative approach that he uses in his practice. Instead of giving his staff raises, he uses performance bonuses that are challenging yet still attainable. Do you...
The Riddle of Overtime: Hourly vs. Regular Rate of Pay
Before we start: We promised to keep our blogs short and entertaining. This one is neither. I've never worked with an employer who doesn’t want to pay their employees properly. But still, we find that many employers still do not understand the rules on hourly pay and...
“Winning in Overtime,” and Paying For It, Too
Dear Mr. Edwards, I recently read your article “Winning in Overtime” in the August Issue of Dental Economics. I have been working in the Human Resources environment for over 15 years and have not ever heard of using a bonus and/or commission to calculate overtime for...
Illegal, Illegal, Legal: Your Options for Limiting Overtime
"When it comes to overtime, can we notify employees that if it's unauthorized, it won't be paid?" I typically see this issue manifest itself in two illegal ways: Agreements to forego overtime; and No pay for unapproved overtime. Problem 1: An agreement or policy...
Employee Volunteers Might Cost You Anyway
I can hear your indignation now: Do I really have to pay my volunteers? Why would I have to pay a volunteer? It’s charity, for Frank’s sake! What kind of world is this, anyway?! When it comes to answering whether your team can agree to work for free, my typical...
Small Businesses Suffer from Large-Scale Decisions: Exempt Employees, Overtime, and Your Manager
As I began discussing in our last post, President Obama signed an order on March 13 directing the Department of Labor to look at and redefine the rules governing who can and cannot be paid as an exempt employee, and is therefore excluded from overtime pay...
Employee Vacation Time and Your Office Schedule
Summertime is here, and if your employees are anything like mine, they’re fantasizing about cool ocean breezes and PTO. And here at CEDR, we’re frequently asked whether it’s OK to restrict or regulate employee vacation time usage to better accommodate your office's...
Paid Sick Leave in California: Coming Soon Out of a Pocket Near You
It's not my place to judge, but I'm going to anyway. If you own a practice in California, you may have heard that a not-so-great piece of new legislation has just passed in your state and is likely to be signed into law by Governor Brown. Starting July 1, 2015,...
Open Enrollment Season is Here!
It's that time of year again. Nope, not the holidays... we're talking about the Health Insurance Marketplace's Open Enrollment Period. This is the time of year when you can review your plans, apply for new coverage, or make changes to your coverage. Here are the key...
Tips for Contesting Unemployment Benefits
What should you do when an employee resigns but later changes their story in an attempt to receive unemployment benefits? We get questions about this quite often. The employee resigns because they are moving, got a new job, want to go back to school, or didn’t think...