It’s that time of the year when most organizations begin thinking about their retirement plan responsibilities, whether it’s non-discrimination testing or preparing to file the Form 5500 with the IRS. This is usually a nerve-wracking time for employers, as there are often concerns about the outcome of the testing. Will we pass our tests? Will we be required to return hard-earned retirement monies to some of our employees? Will we have more serious issues?

Very recently I had a conversation with the COO and CFO of a client regarding a top candidate who had turned down an offer. They were shocked and confused. They had offered the candidate the compensation she requested and had thrown in a few small perks, but it unfortunately wasn’t enough to seal the deal. Ultimately that candidate (who had multiple offers on the table) accepted another offer. Why?

The Cultural Problems of Reclassifying Exempt Employees to Non-Exempt under FLSA In June 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a key change to the provisions for determining exemption from overtime by raising the minimum standard level for salaried workers from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $970 per week ($50,440 annually). While the rule is not yet final and is not expected to be in place until 2016, organizations all over the US are preparing for the impact, both financially and culturally. Many times the latter is overlooked.

We’ve all been there... You filled out your annual self-evaluation. Your manager reviewed it. Your manager reviewed your performance and sent their review and your self-review to your second level manager for review and approval. You have a meeting with your manager to review the appraisal. You sign off on the appraisal. Your manager signs off on your sign off. Your second level manager signs off and finalizes the appraisal.

Defining “work-life balance” is difficult. Eventually, as you stay committed to finding what works for your organization, the definition becomes less nebulous. At Helios HR, our definition centers around integration instead of balance. When we first start, we work with our mentors and team leads to determine what works for us: when to answer immediately, when to allow the email to sit until morning, and when to leave the phone altogether.

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.