Experts say travel pay disputes could fuel an enormous surge in lawsuits filed by workers in 2008 and beyond. Why? Many HR professionals haven’t updated their travel policies in recent years to keep up with changing federal and state rules. Rising gas prices have forced more employees to keep a closer eye on their out-of-pocket expenses. And, worst of all, disagreements over travel pay typically fall in the wage/hour realm, making them a highly attractive target for plaintiff’s attorneys.
Travel pay standards can prove very confusing even for experienced managers and employers. The rules can change quickly based on whether workers are commuting or traveling on assignment, driving their own cars or company vehicles, or exempt or nonexempt. Plus, many states have enacted their own travel pay rules that differ significantly from federal guidelines.
You’ll learn practical, hands-on steps for recognizing, preventing, and defusing travel pay issues during this 90-minute audio conference recording. Our speaker will explain the most common disputes that arise when employees travel-as well as the best practices you can follow in drafting and enforcing travel pay policies that comply with federal guidelines. Plus, you’ll find solutions for comparing your rules with state statutes and for dealing with the challenges that may arise with commuting employees, out-of-town assignments, and workplace emergency situations.
You and your colleagues will learn:
- The best practices for drafting effective travel pay policies-from establishing which employees may be asked to travel to setting fitness-for-duty and overtime reporting rules
- How federal laws (such as the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Portal-to-Portal Act) and state regulations may affect your travel policies-and what you must do when the federal and state rules conflict
- Why certain situations, such as work-related emergencies, may require you to pay employees who would otherwise not be compensated for traveling
- The different standards applied to exempt and nonexempt employees in travel pay situations
- What you’re required to pay when employees travel away from home for work purposes-and how the rules change if the workers drive your vehicles instead of their own cars
- Why plaintiff’s attorneys predict travel pay will become the next big wave of wage and hour claims-and the practical steps you can take right now to protect your organization
This audio conference was recorded on Tuesday, September 23, 2008
About Your Speakers:
Tom Malone is a senior consultant with Graves & Associates, a compensation advisory service based in Miami. A former compensation analyst for a Fortune 500 consumer products company, he counsels clients on a wide range of compensation and benefit issues, from travel pay disputes to benefits programs. He earned his MBA degree from Florida State University.
Approved for Recertification Credit
This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI home page at www.hrci.org.
