When does Form I-9 need to be completed? All new employees must complete Section 1 of Form I-9 on (or before) their first day of employment. Then, within three business days following their start date, they must submit acceptable proof of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. As for your end,…

Is it Vacation or Paid Time Off? Traditionally, churches offered separate paid time off benefits to employees, such as paid vacation, sick leave, and personal days.  However, in the past decade, many churches have moved to a more flexible Paid Time Off or “PTO” benefit that incorporates all policies into one all-inclusive PTO plan. The…

Exempt and non-exempt are classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That’s the federal law requiring that most employees receive at least minimum wage for each hour worked and overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Usually, employees who are entitled to both minimum wage and overtime are called non-exempt. Those…

Generally, non-exempt employees are paid hourly. We recommend instructing non-exempt employees to track all their time worked and prohibit working off the clock. Employers may use any timekeeping method they choose as long as it’s accurate and capturing all the required information (see below). For example, you may use a time clock, have a timekeeper keep…

In general, having an employee handbook or policy manual is a good business practice, but specifically, there are some good reasons, from a legal standpoint, to create an employee handbook. The Purpose of an Employee Handbook Employees like to know what is expected of them and they want to know that they are being treated…

We receive a lot of questions about the I-9—the form used to verify the identity and employment authorization of all individuals hired for employment in the United States. Here are some of the most common: 1: How Should I-9s Be Stored? Separately. We recommend that you keep all I-9s in either a separate master file or…

Q: Employees are spending a lot of time on their phones (scrolling social media, browsing the internet, listening to music or podcasts). Can we prohibit personal phone use during work hours? A: Yes, you can limit or prohibit the use of personal devices during work hours. Employees can be expected to give their undivided attention…

We recommend having five separate files for each employee, as outlined below: I-9 file: Keep all Form I-9s in a separate master file or three-ring binder. Medical file: This file should contain everything related to an employee’s medical history, including health insurance enrollment forms. It’s important to separate this file because you cannot legally base…

Question: We are going to terminate an employee who has not been meeting expectations, even after several warnings. Could we give the employee notice that their employment will end in two weeks? That way they have a little time to search for a new job. Answer: We would not recommend giving notice ahead of an…

What guidelines should we follow when setting up and organizing personnel files at church? “Personnel records” are records kept by the church about an employee’s qualifications for employment, promotion, transfer, additional compensation, or disciplinary actions. Employees’ medical files should be kept separate from their personnel files. This includes medical certifications, doctor’s notes, requests for family…