Question: An employee working remotely from her home in Seattle is demanding a raise because the Seattle minimum wage increased this year. Our company doesn’t have any locations or other employees in the city, so Seattle’s laws don’t apply to us, right? Answer: If you have even one employee who works within the Seattle city…
Read More…On February 9, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law reviving supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL). California employers with 26 or more employees will need to provide up to 80 hours of SPSL to employees who are unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19 (coronavirus). The new COVID-19…
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Question: I have a remote employee asking if he’s going to be paid for the time it takes to log into our timekeeping software. This seems ridiculous. It only takes him a few minutes—if that—each day. Do we have to pay for this time? Answer: If his work depends on his computer use and he’s…
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On December 23, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee clarified that employer deductions from employees’ wages under Washington’s Long Term Care Act are required by law to begin January 1, 2022, except for workers who purchased their own insurance and successfully applied for an exemption. Just a few days earlier, he had announced that he…
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Question: We have a non-exempt (hourly) employee in Washington who’s going to be traveling out of town for work. What travel time hours do they need to be paid for? Answer: The safest approach is to pay the employee door-to-door (from their home to the out-of-town destination and from the out-of-town destination back…
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November 4, 2021 OSHA announced its long-awaited COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS), directing employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated or else submit to weekly testing. The official rule will be effective immediately upon its publication on November 5, 2021, but covered employers will…
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The minimum wage in both Seattle and SeaTac will exceed $17.00 an hour as of January 1, 2022. The City of Seattle is increasing its minimum wage requirement to $17.27 per hour for most employers. Seattle’s minimum wage rates apply to all non-exempt employees for all hours they work within the city…
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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) raced to secure financial settlements from federal contractors at the close of the agency’s 2021 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, 2021. After conducting routine affirmative action audits of selected companies, the OFCCP alleged discriminatory practices in compensation and hiring. Each of the…
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The state of Washington has announced increases in the minimum wage rate and the exempt salary thresholds for employees, effective January 1, 2022. These increases impact several state wage requirements that you’ll want to be aware of if you have employees in Washington. The cities of Seattle and SeaTac have higher…
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The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has raised the minimum wage for certain federal contracts related to services and construction as of January 1, 2022. The minimum wage for federal contracts covered by Executive Order 13658 (“Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors”) will rise to $11.25 per hour effective January 1, 2022, up from $10.95 per hour…
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