May 18, 2022
With the publication of a proposed overtime rule expected very soon from the Department of Labor, employers must be ready for the change, which includes a potential overhaul of their HR policies and procedures, according to Stuart J. Oberman, Esq., president and CEO of Oberman Law Firm.
“The duties tests denote which employees are exempt (not eligible for overtime pay) and they depend on a variety of factors. Each of the three white-collar exemptions listed below have a slightly different criteria,” Oberman writes in a post on his firm’s website.
Executive Exemption
The employee’s primary duty must be managing the enterprise or a department or subdivision of the enterprise. The employee must customarily and regularly direct the work of at least two employees and have the authority to hire or fire workers (or the employee’s suggestions and recommendations as to hiring, firing or changing the status of other employees must be given particular weight).
Administrative Exemption
The employee’s primary duty must be performing office or non-manual work that is directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers. The employee’s primary duty also must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.
Other Articles to Explore
Professional Exemption
The employee’s primary duty must be to perform work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning that is customarily acquired by prolonged, specialized, intellectual instruction and study.
“Under federal law and laws in most states, an employee’s exempt status is determined by the employee’s primary duties and whether those duties are exempt,” Oberman writes. “In addition, employers must be aware of IRS rules regarding exempt and non-exempt.”
