by Shannon Bailey, Global Printing 

This year is Global Printing’s second year participating as a Light the Night team for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  We were connected to the group through a personal contact of mine, but little did I know that so many people have their own personal connection to this cause.

Global does not have a formal structure to our philanthropic activity, but garnering company-wide involvement has been great for team building and general workplace camaraderie.  At times, the company seems departmentalized: production employees are downstairs, designers and web developers in dimly lit rooms working their creative genius, mailing personnel in a neighboring building, and the sales team running constantly in and out of the office.  By organizing fundraising events around the office, we have the rare opportunity to interact.

This unexpected benefit was seen most clearly during an event held last July.  We held the First Annual Global Field Day.  We set up yard games such as corn hole, ladder golf and bocce ball, and thanks to a Chamber connection, Rocklands BBQ agreed to bring their food truck.  Immediately we noticed that employees from all departments of the company were mingling, most of whom don’t otherwise interact during the work week. We were not talking about projects or deadlines. We were talking about summer vacations, baseball and weekend plans.

In addition to the Field Day, we also have bake sales every Friday in September.  Simple concept, but this creates a new watering hole in the office.  It’s an opportunity for people to take a break from the day, get a sugar fix and chit-chat for a few minutes.

We all have personal fundraising goals, but as a team we are striving to raise $16,000. While this is an amazing organization and cause, we have seen additional and somewhat unexpected, benefits from our Global Light the Night team.
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I would recommend every company to consider implementing some form of philanthropy in the workplace. Your organization of choice gets the obvious perks of your support, but your company will equally benefit from working together as a team for good cause!  If only every business relationship were as mutually beneficial!

As Chamber members, we all enjoy making friends, building relationships, and coming to learn about and trust one another. These ties naturally lead to Chamber members doing business with one another on a regular basis. As a member since 1998, I can attest to many friendships formed and clients cultivated through Chamber involvement.

For some time, the Chamber’s leaders have discussed how to support this core value and purpose of our membership. As a result of the Chamber’s strategic plan, we are launching a truly exciting upcoming initiative: ShopChamber. The Communications Council has been instrumental in developing the program including the branding as well as the outreach efforts. 

The ShopChamber campaign will be rolled out over the next several months. You will see a campaign designed to directly encourage member-to-member business, referrals and support of Arlington businesses. ShopChamber will go beyond retail merchants and benefit all member businesses and organizations. 

Whether you're planning an event, buying or remodeling a home, renting and furnishing an office, seeking tax or legal advice, going out to dinner or shopping, our members offer excellent products and services for all your professional and personal needs. We can and should encourage and support each other – after all, why not do business with your friends and the people you trust? Best of all, when we “shop” our local community, and specifically Chamber members, we directly promote and stimulate a strong and vibrant local economy.

Each month the ShopChamber program will spotlight Chamber members within a particular industry. The Chamber will share and promote all members’ involvement on our website, in our weekly electronic newsletter, in our monthly print publication, our Chamber blog and via our social networks using hashtag #ShopARL.There will be tool kits, information, and lots of ways to participate in and support the program. The goal is to create excitement and buzz around these businesses to help drive sales.  

Keep an eye out on the Chamber website for a ShopChamber calendar and Member Directory for a complete member list. Most of all, let’s all keep the concept of ShopChamber top of mind as we pick where to eat, shop, work and play. That is the best way to support each other, our Chamber and the Arlington community as a whole.

Come on inside...

​ OK – stop chatting with the receptionist and let’s head on to an exam room.

​Here’s Dr. Shenk – one of over 170 skilled and compassionate physicians who volunteers his time. He’s with one of our 1,700 patients who’s making it clear that she’s grateful for the care she’s receiving.

Visit’s over. Time to pick up your medicine.

​Oh – and here are some of our all-star volunteers on the wall of fame.

A little more information –

• AFC has EMR (electronic medical record) to enhance quality and efficiency of care.
• We have a phone interpretation language line so our patients (who speak over 50 different languages) can communicate their needs clearly in their native languages.
• We routinely measure health outcomes.
• We have the top 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator for financial excellence and transparency.

We’d love to give you a real tour next time you’re in the neighborhood. Please call Jody at 703-979-1425, ext. 124.

By Jeffrey L. Rhodes, Managing Partner – Civil Division, ALBO & OBLON, L.L.P.

Data recently released by the Federal Judicial Center confirms that more wage and hour claims against companies have been filed in the past year than ever before. Companies throughout the country and in our area have all been affected by this pattern, which can have devastating effects upon businesses and their owners and managers. Even our federal judicial district (the Eastern District of Virginia) has experienced a palpable increase in wage and hour claims that should concern executives throughout our region. The danger to business is very real, as the laws governing payment to employees grow ever more complex and punitive (including recent changes to D.C. law), while the plaintiffs’ lawyers filing such claims grow ever more zealous.

Several factors contribute to the recent surge in wage and hour cases, including: 

• A slow and unsteady economy, with persistent unemployment and lower paying jobs; 
• Efforts to increase the minimum wage, both in the U.S. Senate and in states across the country;  
• President Obama’s recent order for the Department of Labor to review the regulations applying the Fair Labor Standards Act to increase the minimum salary and required duties necessary to exempt “white collar” employees from overtime compensation; and 
• Laws in the District of Columbia and other jurisdictions increasing the instances in which overtime compensation is due and the penalties for failure to pay wages and overtime. 

Unlike almost all other types of legal claims, suits for unpaid wages and overtime can be filed against business owners and managers personally, and collected from their personal assets. Typically, executives have protection against personal liability for work they perform because they serve a corporation or other limited-liability entity. When it comes to paying wages and overtime, however, the law allows employees to set aside the corporate form and sue responsible individuals personally.

Companies and executives sued for unpaid wages or overtime compensation are not just liable to repay those sums. Rather, in most instances, individuals and companies who knowingly fail to pay wages must pay double the amount under the federal wage law, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Some local jurisdictions have actually increased this punishment, including the District of Columbia and State of Maryland. In 2013, the District of Columbia amended to its wage payment and collection law to impose damages of quadruple the amount of unpaid wages and overtime compensation owed. Additionally, responsible companies and executives must pay their employees’ attorneys’ fees and costs in addition to the multiplied sum of wages and overtime compensation described above.

What can businesses do to avoid this danger? Below are some important steps every business should take: 

• Do not assume any employees are exempt from overtime compensation – the default rule is that every employee should receive overtime compensation of one-and-one-half times their regular rate of pay for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek; 
• While employees may be exempt from overtime if they perform high-level duties and receive a salary of at least $455 per week ($23,660 on an annual basis), exemptions should be carefully scrutinized and discussed with employment law counsel; (Note that the Obama administration is currently seeking to increase the minimum salary necessary for the exemption to apply); 
• Keep track of employees’ hours of work, and do not merely assume that they only work normal business hours or when the business is officially open – many lawsuits claim that employees are working off hours or responding to calls, texts and emails outside of office hours, and wages are owed even if employees are only “suffered or permitted” to work off hours;
• For non-exempt employees, maintain policies concerning their work hours, reporting of hours worked, and eligibility to work overtime that ensures accurate recording of work hours (by punch clock if necessary), instructs them on when they should be working, and requires prior permission before working overtime to prevent unexpected liabilities; 
• For exempt employees, maintain policies concerning when deductions may be made from their salary for instances in which they do not work; these should be limited to full-day absences for personal leave, and allow for corrections if erroneously made; and 
• Consider implementing severance plans or policies to ameliorate the impact of job loss for employees and include a signed waiver that will verify and acknowledge that correct wages and overtime premiums were paid during the employee’s tenure. 

​Finally, anytime an employer receives any sort of complaint or issue raised about accurate payment of wages or overtime, the company should immediately contact legal counsel. A good employment lawyer can conduct an audit of the employer’s wage and hour practices and address the situation to help minimize or avoid any legal liability.