{"id":13147,"date":"2026-04-22T08:26:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/?post_type=resources&p=13147"},"modified":"2026-04-24T08:27:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:27:36","slug":"dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/","title":{"rendered":"DOL looks to “simplify” joint employment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

by Michael Cardman<\/strong>, Brightmine Senior Legal Editor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed a new standard for determining when two or more employers can be jointly liable for violations of three federal employment laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DOL’s draft rule<\/a> would establish four key factors to consider when deciding whether an employer is a joint employer under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) – namely, whether the employer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Hires or fires the employee;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Supervises and controls the employee’s work schedule or conditions of employment to a substantial degree;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Determines the employee’s rate and method of payment; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Maintains the employee’s employment records.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The proposal includes several examples of how these factors should be applied, one of which involves an office park company that hires a janitorial services company to clean the office park building after-hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    The office park agrees to pay the janitorial company a fixed fee for these services and reserves the right to supervise the janitorial employees. However, the office park does not set the janitorial employees’ pay rates or individual schedules and does not actually exercise its authority to supervise the workers. In this scenario, the office park is not a joint employer because it does not hire or fire the employees, determine their rate or method of payment, or exercise control over their conditions of employment.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    The first Trump administration\u00a0issued a nearly identical joint employment rule in 2020<\/a>. However, that rule was\u00a0repealed the 2021\u00a0under the Biden administration, leaving a regulatory hole that has been filled by the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The 2026 proposal differs from the 2020 version in many key respects, however. Most significantly, it softens a provision in the old rule<\/a> requiring that an employer had to actually exercise one or more of the four factors to be a joint employer, replacing it with a provision stipulating that exercised control is more relevant than control that is reserved but rarely or never exercised. Another significant change is that the 2026 rule would replace the current FMLA joint employment regulation<\/a> with a reference to the new FLSA joint employment analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    “The rule we propose today would deliver much-needed regulatory clarity in the face of divergent judicial precedent throughout federal courts of appeals,” DOL administrator Andrew Rogers said in a statement. “Clear guidance strengthens worker protections because it ensures that employees receive all wages and benefits they are owed, even if one employer is unable or unwilling to pay. The proposal would also reduce compliance and litigation costs for employers while helping Wage and Hour Division investigators identify what is and is not a joint employment relationship.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Although the proposal will no doubt be closely watched by franchisors, staffing agencies, companies that hire subcontractors and other employers at risk of joint employment, it is unlikely to have the same impact as the 2020 rule. Courts have the final say on joint employment, and courts no longer need to follow agency interpretations like the DOL’s proposed rule in the wake of the\u00a0Supreme Court’s 2024\u00a0Loper Bright<\/em>\u00a0ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It also is important to note that there is a\u00a0separate joint employment standard for labor relations,\u00a0which is more strict. Unionized employers could be liable for joint employment under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) even if they are not under the proposed FLSA\/FMLA\/MSPA standard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Jurisdiction: Federal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    Navigate HR complexity with confidence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    With Brightmine, you can build powerful people strategies, implement best practices and set your organization up for a brighter future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Learn how our tools, resources and automation can empower you and your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    Go back to the top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    You may also be interested in…<\/h2>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n
    \n
    \n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t
    \n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t
    \n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    <\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    DOL looks to “simplify” joint employment<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    The DOL has proposed a new joint employment rule that would clarify how employers are assessed under the …<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    <\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCommentary and Insights<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Ask our experts: Preparing for EEO-1 reporting<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Preparing for EEO\u20111 reporting? Our experts answer common questions on race and ethnicity data collection, reporting changes, and …<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    <\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Virginia enacts new heat illness-prevention law<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Virginia has enacted a new heat illness\u2011prevention law that will require employers to implement formal prevention plans starting …<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    About the author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \n
    \"Michael<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    Michael Cardman<\/strong>
    Senior Legal Editor, Brightmine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Michael Cardman has more than 20 years of experience in publishing and has specialized in employment law for more than 15 years. As a member of the Brightmine editorial team, he focuses on wage and hour compliance, including minimum wage, overtime, employee classification, hours worked, independent contractors and child labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining Brightmine, he was the managing editor for Thompson Publishing Group’s library of HR publications. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing books, manuals and online tools covering a variety of topics such as wage and hour, employee leaves, employee benefits and compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Connect with Michael on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    Sign up to receive expert HR insights from Brightmine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    Join our community and stay updated with industry trends, expert insights, valuable resources, webinar invites\u2026 and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sign up now and receive regular updates straight to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    <\/p>

      <\/ul><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n<\/fieldset>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      \n
      \n
      \n
      <\/span><\/div>\n
      <\/span><\/div>\n
      \n\t\t\n\t\t
      <\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The DOL has proposed a new joint employment rule that would clarify how employers are assessed under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, replacing court\u2011driven standards with a four\u2011factor analysis focused on actual control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":13146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wp-custom-template-new-resources","categories":[55],"tags":[],"topic":[63],"class_list":["post-13147","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hr-news","topic-employment-law-updates"],"_lnrs_read_more":"","yoast_head":"\nDOL looks to "simplify" joint employment | Brightmine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The DOL proposes a new four\u2011factor test for joint employment under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, clarifying how employer relationships are evaluated\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DOL looks to "simplify" joint employment | Brightmine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The DOL proposes a new four\u2011factor test for joint employment under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, clarifying how employer relationships are evaluated\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brightmine US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T13:27:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeAreBrightmine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jake Orlando\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/3c0bab9fbb4e89f035a084d791954c36\"},\"headline\":\"DOL looks to “simplify” joint employment\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T13:26:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-24T13:27:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\"},\"wordCount\":587,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"HR News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\",\"name\":\"DOL looks to \\\"simplify\\\" joint employment | Brightmine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T13:26:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-24T13:27:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"The DOL proposes a new four\u2011factor test for joint employment under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, clarifying how employer relationships are evaluated\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":627,\"caption\":\"HR professionals discussing policies\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HR compliance\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Employment law updates\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"DOL looks to “simplify” joint employment\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Brightmine\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Brightmine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/07042311\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/07042311\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp\",\"width\":1941,\"height\":508,\"caption\":\"Brightmine\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/WeAreBrightmine\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/brightmine\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@WeAreBrightmine\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/3c0bab9fbb4e89f035a084d791954c36\",\"name\":\"Jake Orlando\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jake Orlando\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/author\/jake-orlando\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DOL looks to \"simplify\" joint employment | Brightmine","description":"The DOL proposes a new four\u2011factor test for joint employment under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, clarifying how employer relationships are evaluated","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"DOL looks to \"simplify\" joint employment | Brightmine","og_description":"The DOL proposes a new four\u2011factor test for joint employment under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, clarifying how employer relationships are evaluated","og_url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/","og_site_name":"Brightmine US","article_modified_time":"2026-04-24T13:27:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":627,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@WeAreBrightmine","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/"},"author":{"name":"Jake Orlando","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/3c0bab9fbb4e89f035a084d791954c36"},"headline":"DOL looks to “simplify” joint employment","datePublished":"2026-04-22T13:26:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-24T13:27:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/"},"wordCount":587,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp","articleSection":["HR News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/","name":"DOL looks to \"simplify\" joint employment | Brightmine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-22T13:26:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-24T13:27:36+00:00","description":"The DOL proposes a new four\u2011factor test for joint employment under the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA, clarifying how employer relationships are evaluated","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/24043719\/hr-professionals-discussing-policies.webp","width":1200,"height":627,"caption":"HR professionals discussing policies"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/dol-looks-to-simplify-joint-employment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HR compliance","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Employment law updates","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"DOL looks to “simplify” joint employment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/","name":"Brightmine","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#organization","name":"Brightmine","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/07042311\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/07042311\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp","width":1941,"height":508,"caption":"Brightmine"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/WeAreBrightmine","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/brightmine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@WeAreBrightmine"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/3c0bab9fbb4e89f035a084d791954c36","name":"Jake Orlando","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jake Orlando"},"url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/author\/jake-orlando\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/13147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13147"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=13147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}