November
2016
Business Connection
Volume 8, Issue 11
Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce
Association of Washington Business offers answers to questions regarding DOL's new overtime exemption rule.
Despite court challenge, U.S. DOL overtime rule takes effect Dec. 1, are you ready! By Bob Battles
Association of Washington Business
Don’t get caught unprepared. Regardless of the highly-publicized court challenge, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new overtime exemption rule will still take effect December 1. Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Team Bill Marcum, CEO Lindsey Cope, Project Manager Amy Hallock, Bookkeeper Kelso Longview Business Connection is published monthly by the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 105 N. Minor Road • Kelso, WA 98626 • 360-423-8400 kelsolongviewchamber.org To advertise, call Bill Marcum, 360-423-8400 or email bmarcum@ kelsolongviewchamber.org Ad Deadline: 20th of each month
The new rule, published in the Federal Register on May 23 increases the threshold salary for the overtime exemption from $455 per week to $913 per week, or $47,476 per year. Association of Washington Business (AWB) will host a webinar for employers to discuss the ins and outs of the new law governing who is eligible for overtime pay and answer employer questions on November 10, at 10 a.m. Registration for this webinar is now open. Additionally, Chamber Executive magazine, a publication by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, has a great Q&A article to give employers a solid foundation on the new rule and help business owners and operators prepare for the transition, which is less than two months away. The article’s author suggests employers begin their analysis by first determining these items: • Determining exempt positions where employees currently earn less than $47,476.
• Identifying your pay strategy and modeling scenarios where you increase the salary of these employees above the new salary level to maintain their positions as exempt, reducing salaries for newly reclassified nonexempt employees, and calculating the additional overtime the newly reclassified nonexempts may be earning. • Analyzing work requirements and duties for employees who are reclassified as nonexempt, establishing overtime restrictions and hourly reporting requirements. • Analyzing your benefits and paid time off structures to determine whether changes need to be made as the employee transitions from exempt to nonexempt status. • Planning your communications strategy so that impacted employees will understand the changes and expectations going forward. The DOL also has a Q&A webpage as well as recorded webinars employers can watch to learn more about compliance requirements. In addition to AWB’s November 10 webinar, members can also contact AWB Government Affairs Director and General Council Bob Battles to be directed to additional resources to answer questions or receive guidance on the rule's requirements. Article reprinted from the Association of Washington Business Olympia Business Watch blog.