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A Guide On Changing Your Employees' Status From Hourly To Salary

[fa icon="calendar'] May 16, 2019 8:00:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom

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Hourly To Salary Exempt: A Step By Step Guide To Transitioning


When you hire employees on an hourly wage, whether it’s for a part-time or a full-time position, it means that they are non-exempt workers. You will have to abide by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the California Labor Code, both of which outline a number of wage rules that you are legally obligated to follow. However, employees that are paid an annual salary instead of an hourly wage are generally considered exempt from these wage rules. As a result, you might want to consider transitioning employees on an hourly rate to a salary at some point. We’ve compiled a step-by-step guide that will help you do just that.

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What Are the Laws for Wage Garnishment in California?

[fa icon="calendar'] May 9, 2019 12:15:54 PM / by Michelle Nystrom

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What Exactly is Wage Garnishment?


When an individual is in debt to a creditor, one way that the individual can be forced to pay what they owe is through a wage garnishment order.  Such an order allows the creditor to obtain payments on what is owed directly from the individual’s paycheck. If one of your employees was taken to court over a debt, you may receive a court judgement that orders you to withhold a part of their wages. You will then be legally obligated to withhold the amount specified in the court order from your employee’s paycheck, which you will then have to direct to the designated creditor or agency.

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Child Labor Laws: How Many Hours Can a Minor Work Legally?

[fa icon="calendar'] May 2, 2019 8:39:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom

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How Many Hours Can a Minor Work Legally?


The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has strict rules and regulations governing child labor nationally. It was passed back in 1938 and while it covered a number of labor laws, it specifically addressed the exploitation of child labor. The child labor laws put into place were meant to help protect their educational opportunities and prohibit jobs that could be a danger to their health and safety. Specifically, the FLSA restricts the hours that a child under the age of 18 can work as well as the types of jobs that they can perform. California’s child labor laws are mostly the same, although there are some differences.

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What is Overtime and What is the Process of Calculating it?

[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 18, 2019 8:05:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom

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What is Overtime?

When an employee works longer than what is considered standard (eight hours a day, 40 hours a week), employers are required to provide extra compensation in the form of overtime pay. Employers are required to pay overtime by federal law. This law was first introduced in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The concept of overtime pay was established as a way to reward employees for working longer hours, to prevent employers from taking advantage of their employees, and to encourage employers to hire more workers (the idea being that taking on another employee would be more affordable in the long run than forcing their existing employees to constantly work overtime).  

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Setting a 401(K) Plan for Your Staff - Business Owner’s Guide

[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 11, 2019 11:50:31 AM / by Michelle Nystrom posted in Managing Employees, Motivating Employees, Management

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How To Set Up A 401(K) Plan - A Beginner's Guide

If you're planning on hiring employees, you may want to set up a retirement plan as a part of their benefits package. Generally speaking, small businesses will go with a 401(k) plan, which allows employees to put a portion of their pre-tax income into a retirement account and which allows businesses to contribute to that account (businesses have different ways that they can contribute, including matching employee contributions up to a certain amount). However, setting up a 401(k) plan can be a bit of a challenge if you've never done it before. The following is a beginner's guide on how to set up a 401(k) plan for your business.

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California New Hire Forms - Your Ultimate Checklist

[fa icon="calendar'] Apr 4, 2019 8:10:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom posted in Managing Employees, Hiring the Best People

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California New Hire Forms - Your Ultimate Checklist To Keep You On Track

If you're running a business in California and planning to hire new employees, be aware that the hiring process is not as simple as you might think. California has incredibly strict rules and regulations regarding hiring practices, which means there are certain procedures and paperwork you’ll need to navigate. The entire hiring process can be a little overwhelming, so we have created a guide to help you to comply with the state's strict hiring requirements and documents.

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How to Hire Employees and Attract the Best Candidates

[fa icon="calendar'] Mar 21, 2019 6:59:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom posted in Hiring the Best People

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Wondering How to Hire Employees and Get the Best Candidate?

Hiring new employees can be a challenging process if you've never done it before, or if you're simply unaware of what the correct hiring process is. There are a lot of steps you'll need to take before you even make your first offer, including determining if it's the right time to hire, making sure all legal obligations are met, and knowing where to find qualified candidates in the first place. This guide will provide step-by-step instructions on how to hire employees for your business.

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Mandatory Overtime in California - What Is Legal?

[fa icon="calendar'] Mar 14, 2019 7:04:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom posted in Managing Employees, Management

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Is Mandatory Overtime In California Legal?

There are strict overtime laws both on federal and state levels that were implemented for a number of reasons. First of all, overtime laws help reward employees for working more than their standard eight-hour days or 40-hour weeks. Secondly, they help prevent workers from being taken advantage of by their employers. Lastly, they help discourage employers from getting their employees to work too much overtime, encouraging them to hire more workers instead and reduce burnout of their staff. In addition to understanding the costs of overtime, you will also want to know whether mandatory overtime is legal in California as a business owner. The answer--for the most part--is yes. Although both federal and California state laws allow employers to require overtime from their employees, there is a human element you should consider as well.

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How to Set Up a 401k for a Small Business

[fa icon="calendar'] Mar 7, 2019 7:03:00 AM / by Michelle Nystrom posted in Motivating Employees, Management

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How to Set Up a 401k for a Small Business

While there are many types of retirement plans available, the 401(k) is one of the most popular among small businesses. The way it works is that your employees will be able to deduct a certain amount of money from their paycheck (based on limits that are imposed by the plan's provisions and IRS rules) to be deposited into the plan. As the employer, you will also contribute to their plan based on how much they are depositing and what kind of plan you've chosen.

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Exempt vs Non-Exempt Employees - What Are the Main Differences?

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 21, 2019 4:11:00 PM / by Michelle Nystrom posted in Laws & Regulations, Managing Employees, Payroll, Management

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The Difference Between  Exempt Vs Non-Exempt Employees

Back in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was passed to help protect workers from being taken advantage of. It was the FLSA that established the right to minimum wage and overtime pay. It also established the standard 40-hour workweek and put restrictions on employing minors. As a business owner, make sure that you remain in compliance with all the rules and regulations of the FLSA as well as California state labor laws. This can sometimes makes it challenging to classify your employees. Every company has to classify its employees as either exempt or nonexempt employees, and the accuracy of this classification will affect your ability to comply with other labor laws. In fact, misclassifying an employee can result in potentially costly penalties. Here we offer a brief overview of the differences between exempt and nonexempt employees to help clarify for employers how to classify their employees.

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