Attorneys Sarah Sawyer and Russell Berger of Offit Kurman discuss best practices for tracking hourly employees’ time to ensure accurate pay, overtime compliance, and proper recordkeeping. They explain that mistakes can create significant legal exposure under federal and state wage laws, including doubled damages under federal law and treble or greater damages. Key tips include using a reliable timekeeping system with clear rules, allowing employees to correct inaccurate entries, properly handling paid short breaks versus unpaid uninterrupted meal breaks, and training managers. They also recommend periodic audits and watching for “too clean” time records that may signal problems.

• (00:00) - Time Tracking Basics
• (01:05) - Wage Law Penalties
• (01:59) - Fixing Automated Time
• (02:53) - Breaks and Meal Periods
• (03:44) - Training Managers
• (04:47) - Auditing Time Records
• (05:18) - Wrap Up

Attorneys Sarah Sawyer and Russell Berger of Offit Kurman discuss how employers should approach employee moonlighting, which has become more common. They emphasize starting with state-specific laws that may limit an employer’s ability to restrict outside work, then evaluating whether a side job creates a real conflict with the employer’s business. They also note practical concerns about performance and whether an employee’s outside work affects focus and commitment. The episode highlights the importance of clear, lawful conflict-of-interest policies, regular reminders to employees, and an avenue for employees to disclose perceived conflicts proactively.

In this episode of OK at Work, Offit Kurman attorneys Sarah Sawyer and Russell Burger discuss how employers should handle political discussions at work as Election Day approaches. Employers can appropriately refocus employees on job duties when political debate becomes a distraction. Managers can delicately limit heated discussions by redirecting attention to organizational objectives, using consistent workplace policies. Make sure managers are trained to handle issues evenly without appearing to target particular views. They also flag related concerns about employees posting political opinions online, advising employers to ensure employees do not post under company pages or imply the company endorses their views.

• (00:00) - Politics at Work Intro
• (00:09) - Election Season Buzz
• (00:50) - Legal Limits on Speech
• (01:08) - Refocus on the Job
• (02:17) - Policies and Social Media
• (02:59) - Train Managers Consistently
• (03:55) - Avoid Company Endorsements
• (04:19) - Wrap Up and Goodbye