Rachel Bendix

Construction project management is complex and requires the proper employee schedule to ensure the project finishes on time and within budget.  There are various scheduling methods for construction projects such as the bar chart, the Critical Path Method, Line of Balance method, and Queue Scheduling.  Whatever scheduling method the project manager utilizes they must map out the entire timeline, each section and sub-section of the project, and put the entire… Read More »Why Employee Scheduling Software is Important to Construction Project Management

United States businesses and their workforce have been waiting for the final say in the overtime ruling since it was halted last November 2016. On August 31, 2017, the Overtime Final Rule was ruled to be invalid on the basis that the Department of Labor’s (DOL) authority level was exceeded in this regard.  U.S. District Court Judge Amos Mazzant granted the summary judgment in respect to this matter. Originally, the… Read More »Overtime Rule Struck Down

Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and members introduced the “Save Local Business Act” (H.R. 3441) on July 7, 2017 in an effort to undo the 2015-2016 joint-employer rulings.  These rulings changed the landscape of how joint-employer status is determined. The recent rulings shifted the precedent of “direct” control to “indirect” control to determine joint-employer status. The act aims to reshift the definition of employer… Read More »The Save Local Business Act and Joint Employer Status

Washington state and Oregon have recently made headlines with changes they have enacted in regard to paid time off. Oregon made amendments to their paid-sick-time law, which more clearly defines some areas that rose questions, while Washington passed a paid family and medical leave program. Washington’s S.B. 5975 puts into place an option of providing paid leave for 12 weeks for employees that have a new child or need to… Read More »New Measures Taken in Washington and Oregon Regarding Paid Time Off

San Francisco, Emeryville, and San Jose are three main cities in California that have been a part of the local government trend in setting legislation surrounding employee scheduling. San Francisco enacted the Retail Workers Bill of Rights, which spawned similar legislation in other municipalities. A recent podcast by Littler Workplace Policy Institute (WPI) explored the increasing shift of municipality statutes regulating hiring and scheduling of workers. The WPI pointed out… Read More »Municipality Employee Scheduling Legislation Trends

Irregular shifts and on-call work schedules usually result in working variable hours throughout the week or even the month. Shift work is typically used to describe hours worked outside the regular 9a.m. to 5p.m. time frame, and includes evenings, nights, overnight, and on-call. Split shifts and rotating shifts also contribute to the irregular employee scheduling pattern across industries.  The causes of these irregular shifts and irregular employee schedules vary, but… Read More »Effects of Irregular Shifts and Work Schedules

Dispatch operations, medical facilities, hospitals, transportation, manufacturing plants, utility companies, and other businesses that operate 24/7 or schedule maintenance after hours must schedule employees to work night shifts. There are many factors to consider to ensure that employees are scheduled correctly to provide the needed shift coverage, don’t have conflicting shifts, receive the required rest period between shifts, and are properly compensated. There are federal and state laws to consider… Read More »Scheduling Tips for Night Shifts

The public at large is still waiting for a decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on whether the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) ruling in 2015, which changed the definition of joint employer, will be upheld. On March 9, 2017, Browning Ferris Industries (BFI), the NLRB, and the Union presented oral arguments to the D.C. Circuit Court. The circuit judges involved include Patricia Millet, Raymond Randolph, and Robert… Read More »Browning-Ferris Joint Employer Status Case Update

With the recent ruling from California’s Supreme Court, employers can no longer require employees to be available or on-call during rest periods and breaks. The case brought to the California Supreme Court was in respect to ABM Security Services Inc.’s policy which required their team of security guards to have their communication devices, such as radios and pagers, turned on and respond to the needs of clients if necessary during… Read More »California Security Guard Services Need To Re-Examine Rest-Break Policies and Practices

For many retail stores, restaurants, shops, and other consumer-centric businesses the holiday season means an increase in customers frequenting stores, increases in purchases, and hence forth the need to increase or augment staff to deal with the influx of business. Holiday shopping, celebrations, and other events usually draw out larger numbers of customers. Business owners, managers, and directors know that in order to meet the spike in demand they need… Read More »Questions Employers Seek Answers to When Hiring Seasonal Employees