The regulations covering FMLA are extensive. For employers it’s critical that the staff tasked with administering FMLA understand their responsibilities. There are features of FMLA that are easier to negotiate, such as duration and what forms to use. On the other hand, there are elements of FMLA law that can often lead to misunderstandings and missteps, landing businesses in hot water due to noncompliance. One area that is often misinterpreted are the rules applied to key employees. Below are some of the misconceptions and important distinctions in managing leave for key employees.

Yesterday morning (June 30th, 2015) news hit the wire that the Department of Labor (DOL) has officially released changes to the overtime exemption as it relates to the classification of employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Back in March, here at Helios we blogged about the (at the time proposed) changes to the regulation with a call to action:

Successful business strategy requires the support of an effective and productive workforce. Employers engaged in creating a motivated workforce will make significant efforts to ensure hiring decisions contribute positively to the team atmosphere. Even with the best of efforts, there will be times when personality conflicts arise.

We all want to ensure we hire the best candidate to fill our open positions. In doing so, we try to gather all of the pertinent information on each candidate in order to make an informed, sound decision. With that said, employers need to be proactive in regularly reviewing their background screening process so it is compliant with the latest federal and state regulations. One growing area for conducting background checks is social media. Employers have indicated social networks help find evidence of unprofessional behavior, such as complaints about previous employers or discussions of drug use. Some employers go as far as requiring candidates to disclose their usernames, passwords, and other credentials providing employer access to their social network accounts. There are several existing federal laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Stored Communications Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, may protect workers against discrimination and privacy violations related to social media.

Though international work experience has definite benefits for both employees and the businesses they support, the cost of a failed assignment cannot be ignored. Depending on the assignment package and location, some international assignments can cost a company three to four times the base salary. Failure can come in many forms:

I recently spoke with an HR leader who is considering moving to a new Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in the next year. Knowing that we are in the midst of implementing a new ATS, she wanted to know what kind of timeline she should have in mind. Generally speaking, to incorporate all recommended steps, it could take 4 to 5 months to make the change to a new ATS. In order to be fully prepared and have a process with some rigorous due diligence, consider the following timeframes: