MedEsthetics magazines offers business education and in-depth coverage of the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures for physicians and practice managers working in the medical aesthetics industry.
Issue link: https://medesthetics.epubxp.com/i/101607
LEGAL ISSUES | by Steven Austin Stovall, PhD Identifying Employment Status The distinction between part-time and full-time employees isn���t always clear. De���ning Part-Time and Full-Time Employment A good starting point is to simply de���ne part-time versus full-time. As far as the federal government is concerned, there is not a legal de���nition of parttime employment. The overseeing law is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 22 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 | MedEsthetics and it does not speci���cally de���ne this employment status. With no federal de���nition of part-time status, it is up to the states to set the rules. Most states specify that employees who work less than 35 hours per week���on a consistent basis���are considered part-time. This means if an employee works 40 or more hours every week, but one week only works 10 hours, the employee is still a full-time associate, because that single shorter work week was an anomaly. There are some de���nite advantages to having part-time workers; the most obvious is that it keeps labor costs in check, as overtime pay typically does not apply to part-timers. Another bene���t is that it is often easier to schedule a part-time associate to ���ll in gaps in the work schedule. As far as employees are concerned, some prefer part-time status as it permits a greater degree of ���exibility in their daily schedules. Useful Terms Exempt employee: An associate who is exempt from overtime pay under the FLSA; typically, a salaried employee Full-time: Someone who consistently works more than 35 hours a week Nonexempt employee: An associate who is subject to overtime pay under the FLSA; typically, an hourly employee Overtime: Time worked beyond an associate���s usual work time; usually, time and a half for more than 40 hours in a workweek; some states have varying rules Part-time: Someone who consistently works less than 35 hours a week Salary: Fixed compensation often paid weekly, biweekly or monthly Straight-time earnings: Compensation prior to overtime being paid Wage: Compensation paid on a per-hour basis Workweek: Any time during a sevenday period when work is compensated �� ISTOCKPHOTO.COM Your staff is the lifeblood of your practice. They are the ���rst and last contact your patients have with your facility. They vary in age, gender, experience and de���nitely in personality. But they may also vary in their work statuses. What may at ���rst seem like a straightforward categorization of which associates work 40 or more hours each week and which ones work fewer hours is actually more nuanced. The following is a refresher on parttime and full-time rules as well as an introduction to the latest laws.