Properly Classifying Workers Under The FLSA: Exempt v. Non-Exempt
Speaker: Steven G. Meilleur, Ph.D., SPHR
Speaker Designation: President/CEO, PRAXIS Management Solutions, LLC
Speaker: Steven G. Meilleur, Ph.D., SPHR
Speaker Designation: President/CEO, PRAXIS Management Solutions, LLC
It is extremely important for employers to ensure that their employees are not improperly classified as exempt when they are really nonexempt. In the event of an employee lawsuit or an audit by the DOL, employers will be required to substantiate their reasons for classifying a particular employee or employees as exempt. The burden of proof will be on the employer to establish exempt status, not on the employees or the DOL to prove that employees are not exempt.
Many employers have learned this lesson the hard way. In addition to enforcement action by federal and state departments of labor, improper classifications have resulted in many collective action lawsuits by groups of employees, many of which have resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements.
The purpose of this webinar is to assist HR professionals in determining whether employees qualify for any of the exemptions from the FLSA's overtime and/or minimum wage requirements.
In addition to paying back wages, an employer that is found to have improperly classified employees under the FLSA will generally be subject to fines and penalties that can equal or even exceed the amount of unpaid back wages due to the improperly classified employees.
Steven G. Meilleur, Ph.D., SPHR – is President, CEO – PRAXIS Management Solutions, LLC, a New Mexico-based management consulting firm specializing in human resources, employee relations, leadership, training & organizational development, organizational research and assessment, strategic & operational planning, and non-profit organization management and governance. Dr. Meilleur has more than 40 years of management and executive-level experience in human resources, risk management, and organizational management in the private non-profit, public, and private for-profit sectors.
Dr. Meilleur also serves as Senior Vice-President and Risk Services Consultant for Human Resources and Employment with Poms & Associates, a national risk services and insurance brokerage firm. His previous work experience includes public, private, and nonprofit organizations, in executive and management capacities.
He is also on the faculty of the University of New Mexico School of Public Administration in the graduate program, teaching in the areas of human resource management, nonprofit organization management, leadership, dispute resolution, organizational change, and human resource development. He has spoken at numerous conferences and workshops across the country and is a published author in the areas of human resources, marketing, leadership and management development, organizational change and innovation, non-profit organization management, and board development.
Dr. Meilleur received a BA in English Literature and Education from Bucknell University, an Executive MBA from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson Graduate School of Management, and his Ph.D. in Leadership and Organizational Learning from UNM. He received his certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) by the Society for Human Resource Management in 1995.
