With the coming New Year, it is a perfect time for Minnesota employers to ensure that they are complying with the new laws and ordinances that affect employment in the state. This post is intended to highlight a few areas that deserve particular focus as 2019 comes to a close.
Minneapolis Wage Theft Prevention Ordinance
We have written extensively about the Minneapolis Wage Theft Ordinance, and the requirements it imposes on employers. See one such post here. In brief, the ordinance requires employers to provide all employees with specific information about the terms of employment, including: the start date of employment, the employer’s policy on tips, the employer’s overtime policy, and notice of the employee’s rights under the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Ordinance.
The ordinance takes effect on January 1, 2020, and requires notices to be provided to all new employees at the time of hire, and for all current employees by the end of the first payroll period in 2020. Before the end of the year, make sure that your business has provided the required disclosures, or has a plan to do so in the first few weeks of January.
State-Wide Wage Theft and Disclosure Requirements
Employers who are not located in Minneapolis would also be wise to review their documentation, as the 2019 Minnesota Wage Theft Prevention Act imposes similar record keeping and disclosure requirements as the Minneapolis ordinance. A previous post on this topic can be found here. The state law took effect as of July 1, 2019. It requires employers to provide additional information on pay stubs, and imposes criminal penalties on individuals who engage in wage theft from employees.
Other Recent Changes
Other relatively recent changes that would be wise to review include:
- Sick and Safe Time Ordinances in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth
- Minimum wage increases in Minneapolis and St. Paul
This is not a comprehensive list, and employment laws change quickly and subtly, with potentially significant consequences for noncompliance. If it has been more than a few years since you last spoke with an employment attorney about your business practices, doing so should be at the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions.