SENATE BILL WOULD GIVE SMALL BUSINESS MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Seeking a more small-business-friendly workplace, the National Federation of Independent Business, testified before a Senate Labor subcommittee in support of legislation that would allow employers to give employees the option to take compensatory time off in lieu of overtime and allow them to set up flexible work schedules.

The current Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) inhibits employers and employees in a small business from establishing a work environment that best fits that particular business and the particular employees. Under S. 4, the Family Friendly Workplace Act, if an employer made compensatory time available, an employee could choose to have overtime compensated with cash or paid time off equal to a rate of time-and-a-half. The bill also proposes allowing an employer and employee to enter into an agreement that allows them to manage an 80 hour, two-week period in a way that works for them.

NFIB believes the current FLSA has outdated requirements and should be revised to reflect the workplace of the 1990s, where many employees are trying to juggle responsibilities at work and home. *