In June 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a key change to the provisions for determining exemption from overtime by raising the standard minimum level for salaried workers from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $970 per week ($50,440 annually). This rule change also includes implementing a mechanism for automatically adjusting this minimum salary level for inflation.

Human capital is your most important asset. A lot of organizations talk about this in executive speeches, marketing materials and advertisements. If you are one of these organizations, what are doing to support this statement?

Employers have a lot on their plates. There are a myriad of compliance issues that must be routinely addressed in order to ensure smooth operations. Across the nation the Department of Labor is actively pursuing employers found in violation of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

HR compliance is an enormous topic and there is much to be considered when discussing it. There are employment law compliance responsibilities around benefits, 401k plans, federal contracting, record retention, state, and federal regulations…the list is endless. While the risk of not being in compliance can cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some ways, I personally think this is one of the simplest disciplines of Human Resources. As an HR consultant who conducts many Human Resource audits for our clients, my advice to you is to get a process in place and stick with it. Once you have identified and corrected any gaps that exist, it's important that you maintain compliance throughout the year and the following audit checklist can help you do just that.

In the DC Metro area, it's no secret that we have a multitude of Government Contracting firms. Over the past few years in particular, we have all felt the industry contract from $550 billion to $450 billion. While some may argue this contraction is temporary, we may still have a few more years of industry tightening.