The Society for Human Resource Management, a vigorous opponent of changes to overtime regulations proposed by the Obama administration, told the Department of Labor in comments last week that the changes will not only burden management but be a detriment to the workers they intend to help. 

The change floated by the DOL would raise the threshold for exempting employees from overtime pay from $23,660 to $50,440. 

SHRM contends that many workers who currently earn below the proposed threshold would not all of a sudden begin making more money if the changes are implemented. Instead, the HR organization predicts that employers will impose stricter work hours in order to limit overtime. The result, argues SHRM, would be "reduced workplace flexibility and access to opportunities to gain experience" as well as a "loss of professional status."