The Shift Amp blog

Notes on running calmer operations.

Two business professionals working together in a modern office environment with documents and computers.
November 9, 2026

Which Salaried Employees Still Get Overtime (2026 Thresholds and Duties Tests)

Salaried does not mean exempt. Here are the federal salary floor, the duties tests, the states that set a higher bar, and what a 52-hour week costs when the exemption fails.

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Smiling barista standing in a stylish café, showcasing entrepreneurial spirit.
October 23, 2026

Scheduling Minors: Hour Limits and Work Permits in 20 States

Federal law caps hours only for 14 and 15 year olds, so the real limits on a teen's schedule live in state law. Here is how 20 states compare, with a worked week and the mistakes that cause violations.

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Close-up of a whiteboard calendar with 'FALL BREAK' written in bold letters.
October 22, 2026

Can You Change an Employee's Schedule Without Notice? What You Owe, by City

Federal law does not require notice before you change a schedule, but a growing list of cities makes late changes cost money. Here is the default rule, where it flips, and what each change costs.

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October 21, 2026

Open Shift Pickup Rules: First-Come, Seniority, or Lottery

Who gets the open shift? A vendor-neutral guide to first-come, seniority and lottery pickup rules, the overtime check most policies skip, and a copy-paste policy.

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October 20, 2026

Tip Pooling Rules: Who Can Share Tips and Who Cannot

Owners and managers can never take from a tip pool. Whether your cooks can comes down to one decision, the tip credit. The federal rule, the states that change it, and what the wrong pool costs.

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Friendly shopkeeper assisting a customer in a cozy, well-stocked store environment.
October 20, 2026

Square's CBD and Hemp Ban: What Sellers Should Do Next

Square dropped CBD and hemp on October 15, and the federal hemp rules change on December 11. What that means for your products, your card payments and everything else Square was running for you.

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Elegant facade of Drug Opera cafe with outdoor seating in Brussels, Belgium.
October 15, 2026

Scheduling Two Locations Without Two Schedules

Overtime follows the employee, not the location, and travel between sites counts as work. Here is what actually changes when you open a second site, with the numbers and the rules.

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Detailed view of the Supreme Court Building's frontal frieze depicting historical figures and justices.
October 15, 2026

Time Clock Rounding: What the Law Actually Allows

Federal law allows time clock rounding as long as it averages out over time. California has spent the last few years narrowing it, and its Supreme Court still hasn't said whether neutral rounding survives.

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Business team analyzing financial data and graphs during a meeting to strategize growth.
October 14, 2026

Reporting Time Pay by State: The Employer's Guide to Sending Someone Home Early

Which states require reporting time pay when you send someone home early, what it costs, and how to cut a slow shift without triggering it.

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Blurred train movement in Chicago's urban landscape highlighting the city's dynamic public transportation system.
October 13, 2026

Chicago Fair Workweek 2026: Are You Covered at $33.85 an Hour?

Chicago's Fair Workweek Ordinance only reaches employers with 100 or more employees worldwide and employees earning up to $33.85 an hour. Here is who is covered, what you owe, and what a violation costs.

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A retro time clock and stack of punch cards against a dark brick wall in an industrial setting.
October 13, 2026

Minimum Rest Between Shifts: The Clopening Rules by State, City, and Industry

No federal law sets a general minimum number of hours between shifts, but Oregon, nine local fair workweek laws and two federally regulated jobs do. Here is where the real lines sit, what crossing them costs, and the buffer to set even where none exists.

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A customer discussing floral arrangements with a florist at an indoor flower shop.
October 12, 2026

How Many Part-Timers Should You Actually Hire?

Skip the ratio. Work out your full-time core from the hours you need every week, then size the part-time layer from the gap to your busiest week.

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Doctors and nurses working together in a hospital, focused on patient care.
October 12, 2026

Does Self-Scheduling Actually Work for Clinical Teams?

Self-scheduling can work for a clinic or care agency, but only inside firm rules. Here are the guardrails, what happens to the shifts nobody picks, and what changes if your staff are unionized.

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Businesswoman multitasking at laptop in a cozy rustic cafe with flowers and a warm atmosphere.
October 12, 2026

Restaurant Spam Calls: How to Stop Them Without Missing Customers

Your number is public, someone always picks up, and most sales calls to a business are legal. Here is why the robocalls keep coming and how to screen them without sending real guests to voicemail.

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A person writing shift notes onto a desk calendar with a pen.
September 28, 2026

Which Shift Pattern Should You Actually Use?

Most small teams never adopt a named pattern and do not need to. For the ones that do, here is how Pitman, DuPont, 4-on-4-off, 4/10, 9/80 and Baylor compare on headcount, weekends and where the overtime is hiding.

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Forklift operator working a shift in an industrial warehouse setting.
September 27, 2026

How Many Employees Do You Need for 24/7 Coverage?

One post staffed around the clock is 168 hours a week, which is 4.2 people before anyone takes a day off. Where the number comes from, why shift length does not change it, and how to work out the buffer for your own team.

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Positive young diverse female baristas in apron uniforms communicating with shy newcomer during break at work
September 27, 2026

Meal and Rest Break Laws by State: An Employer's Guide

Federal law does not require a single break. Here is exactly which states do, at what hour, for how long, and what a skipped one actually costs.

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Predictive Scheduling Laws: Where They Apply and What They Require. Two colleagues in aprons conversing in a grocery store setting.
September 21, 2026

Predictive Scheduling Laws: Where They Apply and What They Require

One state, nine cities and one county make you publish the schedule ahead of time and pay when you change it. Where the rules apply, what a late edit costs, and the requirement most employers miss.

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December 17, 2024

Exit Interview Questions: Everything to Ask

Eighty exit interview questions, a nine-step process for running one that gets honest answers, and what departing employees should expect.

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December 10, 2024

Nursing Scheduler Job Description: Duties, Skills and Examples

What a nursing scheduler actually does, three job descriptions for hospital, nursing home and clinic settings, and why software has not replaced the role.

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December 6, 2024

How to Start an Event Planning Business: The Complete Guide

Ten steps from market research to launch — choosing a niche, registering the business, pricing the work, and building the network the whole thing runs on.

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Two businessmen shaking hands in a modern office after a successful meeting or interview.
December 3, 2024

Part-Time vs Full-Time: Hours, Benefits and Obligations

What actually separates part-time from full-time work — hours, benefits, security and progression — and what the law says about each.

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November 26, 2024

When I Work vs Homebase: Do You Need HR Tools Too?

Both cover scheduling and time tracking well. The deciding factor is usually whether you also need HR and compliance tooling in the same product.

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A desk with financial documents, currency, a laptop, and phone calculator.
November 14, 2024

Small Business Payroll: How to Set It Up and Get It Right

How to set up payroll, the mistakes that cost small businesses the most, and the tools worth considering — from QuickBooks to Square.

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