The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a field assistance bulletin
and opinion letter addressing the circumstances under which employees
performing computer services can be classified as exempt from overtime under
the Fair Labor Standards Act's professional and administrative exemptions.
The FLSA's computer-related exemptions traditionally have been among the
most difficult for employers to apply.
In the field assistance bulletin, DOL stresses that computer employees
can be exempt computer professionals if they fulfill the relevant duties
test and are paid a salary of not less than $455 per week or an hourly rate
of not less than $27.63. To meet the duties test, the employees' primary
duty must consist of the application of systems techniques to determine
hardware, software, or system specifications; the design, testing, or
modification of computer systems relating to system design specifications or
machine operating systems; or a combination of these tasks.
In its opinion letter, DOL opines that certain IT support specialists and
help desk employees do not qualify for the administrative or computer
professional exemptions. DOL notes that the job of IT support specialist,
which requires a high school diploma, does not require the judgment and
independent discretion to qualify for the administrative exemption. DOL also
finds that the employees lack the development and analytical skills required
by the computer professional exemption.
Weekly unemployment
claims down 7,000 In the week ended July 22, the advance figure for seasonally
adjusted initial unemployment claims was 298,000, a decrease of 7,000, or 2.3%,
from the previous week's revised figure of 305,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported. The four-week moving average was 312,750, a decrease of
4,250, or 1.3%, from the previous week’s revised average of 317,000.
Meet the newest member of the C-suite: the chief human resources officer.
Once viewed as a back-office administrator who simply filled position
openings, human resource professionals are fast becoming a key strategic
component in today’s business world.
A new report from Deloitte Consulting LLP, “Strategist & Steward: The
Evolving Role of the Chief Human Resources Officer,” states, “Today, the
head of HR is increasingly required to act as both strategist and steward: a
leader who not only orchestrates day-to-day HR operations, but also helps
shape and implement overall strategy.” He or she collaborates directly with
the chief executive officer and board of directors on a range of critical
business issues.
This is a far cry from the days of simply “finding people,” and it’s good
news for the staffing industry. As the responsibilities of human resource
professionals continue to increase, so do the opportunities for staffing
firms to partner with these professionals and demonstrate the wide range of
services that staffing firms can offer.
In fact, some human resource executives may be entirely unfamiliar with
the staffing industry. A recent article in Human Resource Executive
highlights a trend toward hiring noncareer HR people for HR executive posts,
opting for executives with strong backgrounds in business and strategic
planning, rather than career HR people. The article cites the trend as
“simply the latest response to the clarion call to make human resources more
strategic.”
As the role of the HR executive becomes increasingly important, so will
that of the executive’s strategic partner, the staffing firm.
