Florida minimum wage hike highlights need to get smarter on payroll compliance

Florida Amendment 2, which was approved Nov. 3 by 60.8 percent of voters in the Sunshine State, will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. The Florida Policy Institute estimates that up to 2.5 million workers are now in line for higher wages. Per Florida Amendment 2, minimum wage will climb from $8.56 an hour to $10 an hour in September 2021 and then rise a dollar per year until 2026.

The 2020 election season also saw Joe Biden pledge to raise the minimum wage to $15 nationwide. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. As MarketWatch notes, Biden will likely face many hurdles to get this measure passed, especially if control of the Senate remains with the Republicans. 

Still, while no action has been taken yet on a national level, it’s something for organizations to keep in mind as more states — including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York — pledge to increase minimum wage in coming years. 

Florida’s passage of a statewide minimum wage increase to $15 may pose some challenges to business owners complying with the new law. One thing they don’t have to stress about is how well their workforce management system can handle the new requirement. 

Technology can help Florida employers as they maneuver the new minimum wage landscape. Smart workforce management software will take state and local laws into account so that compliance is as simple as possible.

Workforce.com ensures that managers have simplified and automated compliance to federal, state and local labor regulations, allowing them to avoid costly penalties. Workforce.com software also undergoes an audit regularly to make sure laws and regulations are up to date, meaning that managers can worry less about financials and compliance and more about creating a good schedule.

Don’t fall behind on compliance. Invest in employee scheduling software that simplifies compliance and payroll so that no matter what new regulations pass, your organization is prepared and confident.