Content about Structure

By Randy Frischer, Jonathan Forman, and Brad Poris

By Bruce M. Cross, BCross@perkinscoie.com

In the holiday rush, it's easy to overlook wage-hour issues. This article discusses common ones to which retailers should be alerted, including: temporary workers and independent contractors; unpaid interns and trainees; “off-the-clock” work, meal and rest breaks; seating requirements; cost of uniforms; workplace safety; and overtime exemptions.

Temporary workers

Compared with most other industries, retail companies face shorter time horizons and tighter metrics. The pressure to perform is great, which perhaps explains why many retail firms are having trouble holding onto their top executives.

For example, one major U.S. retailer recently suffered the departures of a senior marketing executive, a division president and another executive VP, all within the space of a few months. One of those executives had lasted only five months, while another had a tenure of less than two years.

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Branding agency The Richards Group said Wednesday that, on behalf of client H-E-B Grocery Co., it has selected production company King and Country to create six new spots featuring a mixture of kids, family pets, animated typography, and the red and white colors from H-E-B's logo.

The first of the 15-second spots debuted Wednesday in targeted TV and cable outlets and on HEB's social media channels, including YouTube.com/HEB.