In order to comply with Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rules and regulations, reduce excessive overtime, and make sure employees are present and productive during work hours, you need a good time clock management system in place.
Here are some time clock management tips for your team:
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Pinpoint Problems
Whether it’s meetings, social media, online shopping, poor management, or some other issue, it’s important to know why employees are spending too much time to complete their work and projects.
One common problem is procrastination. Dealing with procrastination issues may require a careful balancing act. For instance, you don’t want to ban or confiscate employees’ cell phones, but it may be necessary to implement a workplace policy regarding cell phone use. Make sure your workplace policies are expressed clearly and applied consistently and fairly.
If online shopping and video streaming are a problem, you may also want to block certain websites through your network. There is also tracking software available to keep track of how employees use their computers through the day. But procrastination isn’t the only time management problem.
Other common causes for late work and excessive overtime are related to management, such as unnecessary meetings, emails, reporting, and other tasks that get in the way of completing assignments on time. Ineffective and outmoded practices and technologies may be to blame.
When looking for ways to improve productivity and timeliness, don’t overlook HR and management policies and procedures. One great way to find and fix time management problems and streamline HR and management responsibilities is by scheduling a Professional HR Audit.
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Time Management Is a Balancing Act
You need leadership and accountability, but you don’t want to micromanage. And macromanaging can be just as bad.
We all know what micromanagement is — a management style known for excessive and compulsive observation and control of employees. This management style often demoralizes, generates resentment, and can result in the loss of your best and brightest.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have macromanagement — management from afar that leaves employees too much on their own. This distance and lack of input can lead to inefficiency and affect the team’s ability to meet deadlines and get results.
The best management style lies somewhere in the middle. There should be ongoing communication, thoughtful delegation, and complete instructions, but without dictatorial or over-the-shoulder control.
Make sure your employees have the tools and technology to complete their jobs in the most efficient and effective way possible. Additionally, some employees may require different management styles. There is no one-size-fits-all approach! Good managers tailor their management style to meet each person’s individual needs.
The key is finding the balance between hands-on and hands-off approaches for each individual. Managers need to be flexible and alter their management style for each employee.
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Tools and Technology
Time and attendance systems are crucial for increasing your bottom line and improving the efficiency of your workforce. If you’re still using outdated and inefficient paper time sheets or swipe card systems, you’re not just wasting time and money, you’re also leaving a lot of room for mistakes and inaccuracies. Analog, pen-and-paper methods are a huge liability. Fortunately, there’s a better way!
Technological advances have made time and labor management much easier. You can save time and money with an automated time and attendance system that integrates payroll, compiles informative reports, restricts certain schedules, improves FLSA compliance, and much more. These web-based software solutions not only save time and money, they also improve productivity, absenteeism, and reduce stress (especially for payroll workers).
Finish payroll faster than ever before, improve security, decrease legal and compliance issues, and streamline scheduling with an accurate and well-organized time, labor, and payroll system. Learn more about Resourcing Edge’s accurate and versatile time and labor web application.
FLSA Time and Record-Keeping Guidelines
One of the easiest ways to run afoul of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is by failing to adhere to the law’s time-keeping requirements.
The record-keeping rules are fairly simple — employers must keep records on wages, hours, and other item as specified in DOL record-keeping regulations.
In order to comply with both minimum wage and overtime pay provisions, the law requires these records to be accurate:
- personal information, including employee’s name, home address, occupation, sex, and birth date if under 19 years of age;
- hour and day when workweek begins;
- total hours worked each workday and each workweek;
- total daily or weekly straight-time earnings;
- regular hourly pay rate for any week when overtime is worked;
- total overtime pay for the workweek;
- deductions from or additions to wages;
- total wages paid each pay period; and
- date of payment and pay period covered.
Source: United States Department of Labor
Keep in mind that records required for exempt employees differ from those for nonexempt workers. Make sure you are keeping up with time-keeping and record-keeping best practices with the help from a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) like Resourcing Edge.
How Resourcing Edge Can Improve Time and Attendance Problems
Resourcing Edge focuses on providing businesses with the latest software and technologies to compete in today’s fast-paced environment.
We implement cutting-edge data processing and fully-integrated software systems to address matters like payroll processing, calculation and preparation of tax reports, employee earning statements, and management reports.
Employees can clock in via the web or mobile device, with the option for enhanced security such as facial or hand scanners. Time and attendance information gets automatically fed into payroll software and our web portals. All in real time.
Here are some of the features and benefits of switching to our accurate and versatile web-based time and labor management application:
- Payroll automation
- Web-based time and labor management
- Eliminates adding up time cards
- Compiles employee data into informative reports
- Helps develop employee schedules
- Go paperless
- Employee self-service on-the-go
- Punch restriction capabilities
- Maintain control without the terminal
- Restrict schedules, start times and overtime
- HR functions
- Track employee attendance and vacation
- Overtime management
- Employee tardiness
- Improved compliance (FLSA & DOL)
From the Employee Service Center, employees can:
- View/Reprint Check Stubs
- Review Pay History
- Reprint W2s
- Update Address and Personal Information
- View Benefit Enrollment Status
- View PTO, Flex, and 401k Balances
- Login to time & attendance portal (for time clock users only)
From the Client Service Center, clients can:
- Edit employee personal information
- Change employee tax filing status
- Update employee health record
- Review employee dependents
- Track/perform employee events/reviews/discipline/goals
- Track employee skills/education
- Benefit open enrollment
- Add new hires/terminate/rehire
- Change job/pay rates/status
- Add/edit recurring deductions
- Review employee payroll/benefits inquiries
- Reprint employee check stubs/w2s
Our robust web-based management software, deployed in a SaaS environment, saves you time and money. Certified account managers serve as your single point of contact, protecting you from employment related risk, optimizing your benefits, and guiding you through regulatory and economic complexity.
Resourcing Edge is your single source for HR solutions, providing administrative relief and HR best practices through a convenient PEO model.
By using a PEO like Resourcing Edge, you can take your mind off the day-to-day work of payroll and HR administration and focus on what’s important — growing your business.
Learn more about our Payroll & Tax Administration and Web-Based Time & Labor Management System.
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