DOL Bends Slightly More toward Employers—Self-Audits (Via Pilot Program) Are Back!
No one questions the incredibly complex and nuanced web of wage and hour regulations that the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has laid down over the last 80 or so years as guidance under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Of course, in one sense, the regulations represent a grand effort to try to address just about every possible scenario implicating minimum wage and overtime pay concerns. On the other hand, the sheer volume of the regulations and embedded intricacies often leave employers scratching their heads. Well, compliance help may be on the way! In another (expected) move under Republican administration stewardship, which typically focuses on compliance assistance rather than “gotcha” enforcement, there will soon be an option for any employer that realizes it has been mistakenly out of compliance to self-report and obtain a final resolution.
The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) has just announced that it will implement a new nationwide pilot program, the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (“PAID”) program, which it says is designed to “facilitate[] resolution of potential overtime and minimum wage violations under the [FLSA].”
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