How to Avoid Emerging Wage & Hour Risks: Exempt or Non-Exempt, Contractor Liability & Minimum Wage Hikes

This webinar was designed to help employers keep up with recent developments in the rapidly-evolving area of wage and hour law compliance. These developments include ongoing efforts by federal and state leaders to increase the minimum wage, some of which have been successful. More increases are undoubtedly on the horizon. In addition, this Spring, President Obama instructed the U.S. Department of Labor to revise its wage and hour regulations in an effort to increase the number of workers who are entitled to overtime pay.

Compliance with existing regulations remains challenging, and that challenge will only increase when the new regulations take effect. Both federal and state labor departments also continue to focus enforcement efforts on employers that misclassify employees as “independent contracts.” Clearly, staying on top of all of these issues is critical to the well-being of any business.

Included in the webinar were discussions of:

• What revamped DOL regulations regarding overtime pay and the white-collar exemptions could mean for how employers evaluate and classify exempt jobs; 
• The most likely job classifications/duties that could spark scrutiny by the DOL and the courts—now and going forward—for overtime exemption misclassifications; 
• Practical tips for how to tell if employer’s exemption classifications are in need of an overhaul under current FLSA regulations; 
• The legal risks of designating employees as independent contractors and recent cases illustrating the key trouble spots that could lead to costly lawsuits and settlements; and 
• How to evaluate and reduce liability related to payroll policies, including best practices for ramping up audits of overtime exemption and independent contractor classifications.

©2026 Carlton Fields, P.A. Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP. Carlton Fields publications should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information and educational purposes only, and should not be relied on as if it were advice about a particular fact situation. The distribution of this publication is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship with Carlton Fields. This publication may not be quoted or referred to in any other publication or proceeding without the prior written consent of the firm, to be given or withheld at our discretion. To request reprint permission for any of our publications, please use our Contact Us form via the link below. The views set forth herein are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the firm. This site may contain hypertext links to information created and maintained by other entities. Carlton Fields does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this outside information, nor is the inclusion of a link to be intended as an endorsement of those outside sites.