Levi Strauss & Co has agreed to pay more than $1 million to about 600 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor found that the jeans maker failed to record all the hours employees worked in its payroll system.
An investigation by the labor department's San Francisco district office found that the company misclassified several groups of workers as been exempt from overtime, over a two-year period.
Levi Strauss has agreed to pay the overtime wages due to all its affected employees nationwide, and upgrade its time and attendance system.
Read full article here: http://us.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE72S6Y020110329?ca=rdt
How to learn from Levi Strauss & Co’s mistake...
One of the primary reasons why companies invest in a Time and Attendance Solution is to automate the capture and management of all employees’ clocking in and out times. This automatic capture ensures that organisation can comply with all federal and state workplace legislation, such as employee entitlements and modern awards, without having to manage mountains of administrative paperwork.
A customised scheduling function also allows businesses to separate work groups that are on different pay scales. Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly schedules can also be based on pre-defined budgets to keep payroll costs as low as possible.
Download our Free Guide on "How to Choose the right Time and Attendance System for your Business".
Alternatively, to find out more about Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance Solutions, please visit www.mitrefinch.com.au or call 1300 884 831 today.
Showing posts with label industrial relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label industrial relations. Show all posts
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
South Australian Company forced to back pay almost $150,000 in penalty rates
A South Australian transport company has been forced to back pay almost $150,000 in penalty rates to 26 workers, it was reported today.
A random audit as part of the Fair Work Ombudsman's National Road Transport Industry Campaign found that the organisation had failed to pay some staff, mostly casual drivers and yard hands, penalty rates for weekend and public holiday work between March 2006 and January 2009.
The Fair Work Ombudsman said in a statement that it accepted the problem was due to ignorance rather than a deliberate failure to comply with the legislation.
The company has until late this year to make the back payments and write to affected current and former staff apologising for the error.
Ensuring that you are compliant with industrial awards and minimum terms and conditions can represent a major headache for many organisations.
Mitrefinch's Employee Time Management System (TMS) takes the stress out of employee allowances and entitlement calculations via an in-built, fully customisable Award Interpreter.
Easily calculate base and overtime pay, weekend and public holiday penalties, as well as leave loading and shift penalties, ensuring consistent application of your business rules. A direct interface to your external payroll application further reduces payroll administration and the potential for costly payroll errors.
If you would like discover how your organisation can benefit from more efficient Award Intrepretation and effective Employee Time Management contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 931 or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au
Read the full story on ninemsn
A random audit as part of the Fair Work Ombudsman's National Road Transport Industry Campaign found that the organisation had failed to pay some staff, mostly casual drivers and yard hands, penalty rates for weekend and public holiday work between March 2006 and January 2009.
The Fair Work Ombudsman said in a statement that it accepted the problem was due to ignorance rather than a deliberate failure to comply with the legislation.
The company has until late this year to make the back payments and write to affected current and former staff apologising for the error.
Ensuring that you are compliant with industrial awards and minimum terms and conditions can represent a major headache for many organisations.
Mitrefinch's Employee Time Management System (TMS) takes the stress out of employee allowances and entitlement calculations via an in-built, fully customisable Award Interpreter.
Easily calculate base and overtime pay, weekend and public holiday penalties, as well as leave loading and shift penalties, ensuring consistent application of your business rules. A direct interface to your external payroll application further reduces payroll administration and the potential for costly payroll errors.
If you would like discover how your organisation can benefit from more efficient Award Intrepretation and effective Employee Time Management contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 931 or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au
Read the full story on ninemsn
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
How does your Fatigue Management processes stack up? Running the risk of a costly court case?
A recent court ruling saw VicRoads win the largest Chain of Responsibility fatigue case to date with a trucking company from Gippsland fined $95,000.
As reported in the latest edition of the Logistics Magazine, VicRoads spent six months investigating this case and found that the company was allowing its drivers to exceed safe working hours and possessed false driving records.
Don Hogben, Director for Vehicle Management and Safety, said that “the outcome of this investigation sends a clear message that if heavy vehicle operators do not comply with the Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue laws, they will be caught and prosecuted.”
The Australian Transport Council reports that, "Australia has the highest proportion of single heavy vehicle fatal crashes compared with five other OECD nations". The majority of these incidents are likely to be associated with fatigue.
While VicRoads advises that driving while tired amounts to around 20% of all road deaths, making it one of the biggest killers on Australian roads and as dangerous as drink driving.
In an effort to combat this trend, the Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue reform was introduced back in September 2008, and aims to ensure heavy vehicle drivers are not behind the wheel for long stretches and are getting adequate rest between shifts.
This legislation now holds all parties within the ‘Chain of Responsibility’ liable for any breaches of the legislation.
Workplace fatigue is not isolated to the transport and logistics industry. At Mitrefinch we understand that not matter what sector you operate in fatigue can significantly affect a worker’s ability to operate effectively, with side effects including reduced performance and productivity, and greater potential for workplace accidents.
For the past 30 years our Time and Attendance system has been assisting organisations with effective fatigue management, enabling them to proactively monitor staff work and break hours.
Mitrefinch Time and Attendance enables employees to clock in/out or on/off jobs via wall mounted devices at the depot, head office or manufacturing plant, or via the Internet and mobile or wireless devices for remote staff. This attendance data is recorded and Supervisors and HR are sent an alert when an employee is approaching their work hour limit, enabling them to adjust rosters and shifts accordingly.
The Mitrefinch system supports current workplace legislation and modern awards, as well as any organisation-specific work rules, and can easily accommodate any new legislative changes. This ensures that your staff are only permitted to work if they satisfy all the associated rules, providing you with ‘peace of mind’ that they are alert to perform their duties in a safe manner.
In addition, by automating annual reporting and maintaining a complete audit trail, Mitrefinch Time and Attendance arms you with all the information needed in the unfortunate event of legal action.
Ask yourself, how does your fatigue management plan stack up? If you haven't got the processes in place maybe it's time you took a look at a system that will help safeguard your business.
Contact Mitrefinch on 1300 884 831 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au to find out more.
As reported in the latest edition of the Logistics Magazine, VicRoads spent six months investigating this case and found that the company was allowing its drivers to exceed safe working hours and possessed false driving records.
Don Hogben, Director for Vehicle Management and Safety, said that “the outcome of this investigation sends a clear message that if heavy vehicle operators do not comply with the Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue laws, they will be caught and prosecuted.”
The Australian Transport Council reports that, "Australia has the highest proportion of single heavy vehicle fatal crashes compared with five other OECD nations". The majority of these incidents are likely to be associated with fatigue.
While VicRoads advises that driving while tired amounts to around 20% of all road deaths, making it one of the biggest killers on Australian roads and as dangerous as drink driving.
In an effort to combat this trend, the Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue reform was introduced back in September 2008, and aims to ensure heavy vehicle drivers are not behind the wheel for long stretches and are getting adequate rest between shifts.
This legislation now holds all parties within the ‘Chain of Responsibility’ liable for any breaches of the legislation.
Workplace fatigue is not isolated to the transport and logistics industry. At Mitrefinch we understand that not matter what sector you operate in fatigue can significantly affect a worker’s ability to operate effectively, with side effects including reduced performance and productivity, and greater potential for workplace accidents.
For the past 30 years our Time and Attendance system has been assisting organisations with effective fatigue management, enabling them to proactively monitor staff work and break hours.
Mitrefinch Time and Attendance enables employees to clock in/out or on/off jobs via wall mounted devices at the depot, head office or manufacturing plant, or via the Internet and mobile or wireless devices for remote staff. This attendance data is recorded and Supervisors and HR are sent an alert when an employee is approaching their work hour limit, enabling them to adjust rosters and shifts accordingly.
The Mitrefinch system supports current workplace legislation and modern awards, as well as any organisation-specific work rules, and can easily accommodate any new legislative changes. This ensures that your staff are only permitted to work if they satisfy all the associated rules, providing you with ‘peace of mind’ that they are alert to perform their duties in a safe manner.
In addition, by automating annual reporting and maintaining a complete audit trail, Mitrefinch Time and Attendance arms you with all the information needed in the unfortunate event of legal action.
Ask yourself, how does your fatigue management plan stack up? If you haven't got the processes in place maybe it's time you took a look at a system that will help safeguard your business.
Contact Mitrefinch on 1300 884 831 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au to find out more.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Growing demand for HR and IR Specialists
Melbourne based recruitment agency, IPA recruitment, has found that nationwide job vacancies increased for the first time in three months in July.
Job vacancies increased 13.9 per cent in July, the first increase in jobs on offer since March this year.
IPA’s General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Darrell Hewton, said the data showed employers were relaxed about the result of the federal election.
"Business hates political uncertainty, especially around the future of industrial relations laws...however, with few policy differences distinguishing the parties and the prospect of a settled IR landscape for the next few years regardless of who wins, employers are relatively relaxed about the result" said Mr Hewton in a report released on Thursday.
Mr Hewton said employers who had held off hiring for the last few months were entering the market and were confident enough about the 12-month outlook to make the commitment to expand their teams.
Demand for human resources and industrial relation specialists also rose. "With the introduction of modern awards in July, we are seeing increasing need for HR and IR staff across the board," he said.
Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance System, TMS, can help take the stress out of complex award administration. Our specially designed “award interpreter” ensures consistent application of business rules and award payments across your organisation.
For more information contact Mitrefinch Australia on 1300 884 831 or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au
Job vacancies increased 13.9 per cent in July, the first increase in jobs on offer since March this year.
IPA’s General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Darrell Hewton, said the data showed employers were relaxed about the result of the federal election.
"Business hates political uncertainty, especially around the future of industrial relations laws...however, with few policy differences distinguishing the parties and the prospect of a settled IR landscape for the next few years regardless of who wins, employers are relatively relaxed about the result" said Mr Hewton in a report released on Thursday.
Mr Hewton said employers who had held off hiring for the last few months were entering the market and were confident enough about the 12-month outlook to make the commitment to expand their teams.
Demand for human resources and industrial relation specialists also rose. "With the introduction of modern awards in July, we are seeing increasing need for HR and IR staff across the board," he said.
Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance System, TMS, can help take the stress out of complex award administration. Our specially designed “award interpreter” ensures consistent application of business rules and award payments across your organisation.
For more information contact Mitrefinch Australia on 1300 884 831 or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au
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