This audio conference was recorded on Wednesday - July 8, 2009

Credits:

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification.

Description:

Whether it’s employees who refuse to put away their BlackBerry® or employees who habitually clock in early and clock out late, unathorized overtime is a problem for employers of all sizes in all industries. And while you can – and should – discipline workers who violate your overtime policies, you’ll still have to compensate them for the time they’ve spent working. So it’s to your advantage to nip the problem in the bud.

Order this in-depth 90-minute audio conference recording all about the practical steps you can take to reign in overtime costs in an effective and, most important, legal way. Our expert – an experienced labor and employment attorney who defends employers on claims for overtime compensation – will explain how to assess whether overtime-abuse trouble spots exist within your organization and how to stay in check with the Fair Labor Standards Act and Department of Labor regulations.

Speaker(s):

V. Brette Bensinger, Esq., an associate with the Chicago office of law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP, has successfully represented clients facing allegations of overtime and Fair Labor Standards Act infractions, both within the context of U.S. Department of Labor investigations as well as private litigation. In addition to defending clients in state and federal courts, Bensinger regularly advocates before federal and state administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the DOL.

You and your colleague will learn:

• Whether your organization is vulnerable to claims for unpaid overtime because of how you allow employees to work
• How to spot patterns of overtime abuse on workers’ time cards and through their performance
• What your overtime approval policy should say, how to enforce it, and the legal limitations that may effectively tie your hands and mandate compensation
• Communication strategies for ensuring that your workforce fully understands and complies with your overtime policy
• How to structure job duties so pre- and post shift responsibilities aren’t indispensable and integral (and, thus, compensable under the FLSA)
• Practical ways to limit off-the-clock work that could be compensable under federal law
• What you can legally do when workers are rounding up time and how to spot time-shaving practices that could land you in legal hot water
• How to structure meal and rest periods so that workers aren’t entitled to overtime