Compliance and Ethics Week is celebrated nationally the first full week of November each year. During November 7-11, 2016, University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk will schedule activities to raise awareness on compliance and ethics topics and the role of our office. In order to learn more about compliance and ethics topics and for a chance to win prizes, employees can participate in our online crossword puzzle.
As of May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor revised the Fair Labor Standards Act. The revisions will become effective December 1, 2016. UCF’s Human Resources department is in the process of updating our policies and pay practices to implement the new regulations.
What is the Fair Labor Standards Act?
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a Federal wage and hour law administered by the U.S. Department of Labor since 1938. The law provides employees with wage and hour protections. It impacts employees in the private and public workforce by establishing minimum wage, overtime pay, and other wage and hour regulations.
When you were nine and accidentally knocked your baseball through the neighbor’s window with a thundering crash, your decision to either face the consequences or run off and hide involved ethics. You made a split-second choice between right and wrong, and chances are that no matter what your choice, your decision taught you an important lesson.
Most of us were taught the basics of ethics by our parents, teachers, faith leaders, or other authority figures: tell the truth, play fair, don’t hurt other people, and accept responsibility for our own actions. If ethics are simple enough for a child to grasp, why are they suddenly such a big deal in the working world? Why do we need educational programs and Codes of Conduct? Why doesn’t the university simply trust people to do the right thing without being constantly reminded?
