New U.S. Overtime Rule Implementation Blocked – Practical Actions For Employers to Consider in Reviewing Employee Salaries or Wages in the Interim

Many employers were working diligently to ensure compliance with the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Final Overtime Rule (“New Rule”) which would have raised the salary threshold from $455 to $913 per week, or from $23,660 to $47,476 per year, for the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions from the overtime rule. It was projected that 4 million U.S. workers would receive a significant raise under the New Rule. Shortly before its scheduled effective date of December 1, 2016, a Federal Judge blocked the implementation of the New Rule. The DOL has appealed the Federal Judge’s ruling, which means the New Rule’s future is currently up in the air and may be for some time. Because of this uncertainty, if employers have already implemented the New Rule, employers should carefully consider whether to leave the changes in place. If employers have not implemented the New Rule, employers may, at a minimum, want to confirm that the employer is accurately tracking and recording overtime in the event the block of the New Rule is lifted and compliance is required…

Click here to view the 6 practical pointers for an employer to consider in the interim.