HRComatrix

Ted_HRComtx_HolisticHR © Carving a Path for 2021 I t is said that silence is death, and that no news is good news. I have to say that I have been like many of us: affected in one way of another by Covid, being socially distant within relevancy. New resolutions? At least, carving a new path... in this icy cold world full of hot topics. It is not easy: it takes daring and willingness.   T he new year - already not feeling so new by now - has to be better in many ways, because it is practically a call to duty. What the pandemic has brought to us is not isolation but the exposure to a global environment that could reveal itself to be highly toxic , as well as the possibility of exacerbation of some situations of at-risk people . As we advance into 2021 we see the emergence of Wellbeing vs. Wellness verbiage because if anything last year has brought to light, it is the awareness of the importance of mental health .  This is more than ever a reason to understand and embrace that the whol

Ad_HRComtx_1_620 © A s we are navigating the new ways of work, one aftermath of the pandemic for many of us is the unpleasant discovery of unvisited or neglected matters: our mental wellness. More than ever HR has to embrace its evolving approach to its core responsibility: HR is about "the whole person". T he pandemic has brought to the surface so many elements that neither HR nor the people had thought about, although always existing. To me, the two major concerns about mental wellness are depression and domestic violence. I have to admit that I never seriously thought about it until I lost sleep myself and couldn't understand why I was so inexplicably restless and unfocused. Quite a few people I talked to shared similar occurrences. This can only be exacerbated by the sense of isolation from familiar working environment as we work from home or are still transitioning to go back to work. If any of this happened to you, you are quite normal in highly abnormal ti

Disruption_AR_HRComatrix© This is a Time of Disruption To many if not all of us, Covid-19 has been a time of disruption. It is a disruption to our daily routine: work and daily life, continuum, momentum, sense of security or insecurity. Worklife is being redefined for the long term. Let's pause for a moment and make a bulb for ourself.  Where are you now? Change is Around You and in You First it was an annoyance, then a concern, and later on a burden, but now it is a dramatic reality that change will be forever, for both employers and employees. For a moment, I would like to not inundate you with practical information in this post: we have been, on a consistent basis, smothered by Covid-related information (cf. top of page) and communication of all sorts. On the contrary, this is an invitation to take a deep breath and to think about you, as a person, as an employee or employer, and take a moment to think for yourself. Where is this leading you? Where do you wan

OTExemption_ALHR_HRComatrix© I t is a New Year, after a busy end-of-the year for all,  and several topics are awaiting for HR to address. This is a quick conclusion to our previously introduced Overtime Exemption series from last year, as the subject has recently been visited and revisited by many subject experts and organizations. We will bring the subject to a close, for now, in this note with a global peek snapshot. Exempt from Overtime Pay: Those making  at least $684 a week B y now, organizations are set for the new Overtime rule: employees, including salaried ones who don't meet the duties test, who make less than $684 a weelk or  $35, 558 a year will be entitled to overtime pay. Overtime pay calculation has not changed: 1.5 times the hourly pay  (refer to specifics for proper calculation ). Curious to see what European countries do? see here for the "minimum wage" and here for the compensation of  those who meet both the notion of salary and duty t

OTExemption_ALHR_HRComatrix© O ut of curiosity, what are the rules on overtime in other parts of the world? We are going to limit ourselves to similar economies, in Europe. You can see a very explicit chart for European coutries here . Basically, there is the definition of wage and hours work, and principles of compensation. Simply put, other countries have various definitions of what we group under the term "overtime", and their modes of overtime computation vary on the classification of the "overtime" in question. First Things First: Employment is A Safety Net F or comparison sake within so-called developed countries, you can have an insight on the rules in the EU here . For a better understanding of the difference in principles defining employment, the major and primary difference lies first into the work contract itself. - US: Employment at-will is the common rule and practice - EU: Employment is contract-based. Note: the employee is actually an &quo

Exempt_ERD_HRComatrix© I am back after a long summer hiatus with B reaking News today: The DOL has finally issued a final rule on overtime exemption, raising the minimum salary exemption level to $684 a week or $35,568 a year. This takes effect January 1st of 2020, a new year gift to employees and employers alike. For the story, let's look back at my previous post on the subject of minimum wage, and at what other countries have in store. Where do we stand on the global scale with so called developed countries? However, first things first: what overtime exemption entails? Defining Exemption Overtime rules refer us to the  Fair Labor Standards Act ( FLSA). Basically, for any hours worked over 40 hours during the week, an employee paid under $684 a week will be entitled to overtime pay, that is 1.5 times his/her hourly wage. The new rule is expected to impact 1.3 million workers . As a refresher and as a rule of thumb three tests are required to meet the exe