To meet the directly related to management or general business operations requirement, an employee must perform work directly related to assisting with the running or servicing of the business, as distinguished, for example from working on a manufacturing production line or selling a product in a retail or service establishment.
Work directly related to management or general business operations includes, but is not limited to, work in functional areas such as tax; finance; accounting; budgeting; auditing; insurance; quality control; purchasing; procurement; advertising; marketing; research; safety and health; personnel management; human resources; employee benefits; labor relations; public relations; government relations; computer network, Internet and database administration; legal and regulatory compliance; and similar activities.
Even if an employee's work is not directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer, an employee may still qualify for the administrative exemption if the employee's primary duty is the performance of work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer's customers. Thus, employees acting as advisors or consultants to their employer's clients or customers - as tax experts or financial consultants, for example - may be exempt.
However, not all work in this area is considered exempt under the administrative exemption test, as all prongs of the test discussed in question 13 above must be satisfied.