Are you using an automated system for tracking time? Some might think because it is automated the employee doesn’t have to review and sign the reported hours. Employees should always review the reported time, regardless of an automated or handwritten reported times. Skipping this important step opens your company up to a claim of being underpaid or incorrectly paid. It is up to the individual to verify the accuracy of their timecard.
Are you paying your employees to turn on equipment required for their job? If not, you should be. Turning on machinery, getting machinery ready for operation, testing equipment have all been found by the courts to be compensable.
Are your managers approving time correctly? Managers should be reviewing all aspects of time reporting and should also be active in knowing what their employees are doing. If your managers are simply signing off on timesheets and sending them to payroll, they are doing the company a disservice. If questioned in a court case regarding an employee’s time, things could go poorly. Managers should know if employees are coming in early, staying late, not taking paid breaks, etc. While it’s understandable they can’t watch the staff and the clock all the time, they need to be doing periodic checks of time records and physical work being done.
For help with timekeeping policies and procedures, contact our specialists at CyQuest!