The labor market continues to be tight with very low unemployment and steady job growth each month. The ongoing discussion about remote and hybrid work we see everywhere is leaving some employers whose businesses simply cannot support a remote work option wondering how they will compete in the current labor market without being able to offer such flexibility. Many workers have come to value and now demand work flexibility, but employers in the hospitality, construction, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors, to name a few, need employees on-site and available to provide customer service, complete projects, and build products. Working from home is simply not an option some businesses can offer. For workers who never left the work site, there is no discussion regarding transitioning back to on-site work. However, for those being asked to come back on-site every day, an inflation rate that has increased by an astounding 9.1% in a 12-month period and the current cost of gas may be gi

As more employees return to the workplace, employers are searching for ways to retain existing employees and attract new talent in a changing landscape where remote work and shorter workweeks are becoming more common. This article looks at two options for employers who are seeking to give employees greater flexibility in their schedules and how to remain compliant with California labor laws in the process. Alternative Workweek Schedule One option for employers is to implement an alternative workweek schedule (“AWS”), which provides greater flexibility by allowing employees to work longer shifts on less workdays. The AWS also permits non-exempt employees to work more than 8 hours in a day without incurring daily overtime. The most common AWS is the 4/10, where employees work 4 days a week for 10 hours each day. Under an AWS, no overtime is required for a regular schedule of not more than 10 hours per workday within a 40-hour workweek. If employees work longer than 10 hours a

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges and changes in the workplace, with one of the biggest changes being the increase in remote work for employees. As the economy reopens this year, employers are now able to bring employees safely back to the workplace. However, many employers are also exploring flexible work arrangements that allow their employees to continue to work remotely. Implementing a remote work policy can be a benefit to employers in retaining employees by allowing flexibility in their schedules and may also help attract new employees that would not otherwise live close enough to the employer’s workplace. Here are three tips employers should follow when implementing a remote work policy for their workplace. 1) Create a written policy for remote work. Having all or part of your workforce working remotely presents new challenges for both employers and employees, thus it is important to lay out the policy clearly in writing. A remote work policy should clearly