A couple of weeks ago, prefaced by an op-ed piece written by President Obama, the Department of Labor issued new directives on overtime rules. As with most government regulations, however good the intention, the result on small business owners will be a creation of “additional costs and record-keeping headaches” according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
What the New Overtime Rules Mean for You
At issue are exempt vs. non-exempt employees and the potential costs that will be created for small business owners. Under the old rules, any manager working over 40 hours were exempt from overtime pay as long as they earned more than $23,660 per year. Under the new rules, that threshold has been raised to $50,440, a 113% increase.
While this may seem like a small and just issue, the ramifications are massive. In addition to the additional record-keeping now tied to tracking overtime hours for more employees, this will also have an impact on a small business owner’s profitability. Those who are already working on thin margins now have to factor in additional costs should their managers work more than 40 hours a week. Many of these people were given these positions and titles to help the employer control their costs. Under this scenario, managers can leave early without impact, but can benefit by working longer hours. One of the potential side effects will be the elimination of more salaried people.
What this will also potentially do is limit promotion and managerial opportunities for lower income workers, the opposite effect of what the people supporting these laws were hoping for.
Learn More from the Experts
Are you not sure how these rules impact you? Do you have exempt and non-exempt employees and thought you had all of this figured out? If you don’t know or are unsure where to go to get answers, maybe a Professional Employment Organization can help. Contact us today to find out more.