FLSA Common Violation #3

FLSA Compliance laws can get tricky.  The laws can be hard to understand, and misunderstanding the laws could cost your business money.  Understanding where you are failing to follow FLSA regulations gives you a chance to fix the violations. This blog post is not meant as a substitute for legal council.  Always contact legal representation if you have any questions regarding FLSA compliance. Using a mobile resource management solution can make it easier.

Where do most companies go wrong?  The FLSA knows.  The following list was collected by the FLSA and is available for you to download from their site. Click here.    

Common Violation #3                                                                                                                  

Failure to compensate for meal breaks where an employee is not completely relieved of all duties to enjoy uninterrupted time for a meal.

Problem:
Laws vary in every state regarding how often breaks must be given. However, the FLSA requires that a break must be uninterrupted.  If an employee is required to work through the break, then it isn’t an actual break, and they should be compensated for their time.

Solution:
Tracking employee breaks is the easy part.  Tracking breaks requires implementing a work-flow that requires a Clock OUT at the beginning of a break and a Clock IN at the end of a break. However you do it, documenting that your employees were given a break is the first step to protecting your business from FLSA litigation.

Using AboutTime’s task feature employees can clock IN to a task labeled “Lunch” or “Break” and then Clock IN to a work task code when they begin working again.  
The tricky part is tracking whether or not your employees had an uninterrupted break.   Training your managers on the laws is a good first step. Make sure they understand that when an employee has clocked OUT for a break they shouldn’t be asked to perform work tasks.  As we stated before, documentation is what protects your business from FLSA litigation.

AboutTime has an Employee Feedback feature that provides the documentation needed to protect yourself from claims associated with this law.  Simply ask each employee at clock OUT if they took an uninterrupted break.  If the answer is Yes then you have successfully documented your compliance.  If the answer is NO, you can address the situation before it becomes a lawsuit.

See Common Violation #1
See Common Violation #2

The FLSA Knows What Mistakes Most Companies Make: Common Violation #2 and how to avoid it.

FLSA Compliance laws can get tricky.  The laws can be hard to understand, and misunderstanding the laws could cost your business money.  Understanding where you are failing to follow FLSA regulations gives you a chance to fix the violations.  This blog post is not meant as a substitute for legal council.  Always contact legal representation if you have any questions regarding FLSA compliance. Using a mobile resource management solution can make it easier.

Where do most companies go wrong?  The FLSA knows.  The following list was collected by the FLSA and is available for you to download from their site. Click here.   

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Common Violation #2

Short hours by using terms such as “Down Time” or “Rain Delay.”  

Problem:

When managing a large project the proverb “change is the only constant” is a very true statement.   Rain delays do happen, and tools break causing down time.  The problem lies in not documenting when, where and what happened.  Without this type of information, your business could be left defenseless if an employee feels that they have been unjustly shorted hours.  

Solution:

First, know the laws in your state.  Your state may require you to pay employees for a predetermined amount of time just for showing up to work.  If that is the case, you will need to adjust time records accordingly.  Second, make sure that you have adequate documentation for why an employee’s shift was shortened.  Third,  make sure that your employees know why their hours are being shortened for the shift and have proof that the situation was explained to them. 

Using a mobile resource management software can provide adequate documentation and store the information in case it is needed as proof in a future FLSA audit.   AboutTime’s software has a weather feature that automatically records the weather throughout the day.  This report is part of the daily report and is attached to the project.  Verifying that there actually was a rain delay is simple and takes only a few seconds.  

Communicating with field employees can be difficult but there are a couple of options that can make the process easier.  AboutTime’s Employee Feedback feature can ask any question on clock OUT.  If there is a delay of some sort, the question could be something along the lines of “do you understand why your shift was shortened today?” If the employee clicks yes then they have acknowledged that they understand. If they click no, the employee can be contacted to discuss the situation, resolving the issue before it becomes a lawsuit.  A second option would be to use the FormsXPress Feature and approval screen to fill out a form and have each employee sign the touch screen of their device upon clock out. 

Did you miss the last post?  Common Violation #1

For more information on AboutTime Mobile Resource Management Click HERE! 

Increase your business profitability through efficiency

Efficiency is the ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort.  I was raised that we succeed through hard work.   However, I recently heard a great saying from one of my children’s soccer coaches.  He said, “Work smart not hard.“ In other words work efficiently and you will come out on top. 

In order to boost profitability, we have to learn to work smarter not harder.  Lucky for us we live in a time where technology makes doing this simple.    Instead of driving around to multiple job sites, gathering time cards, checking on job progress, and making project management adjustments that may or may not be remembered, use a mobile resource management software solution.   

A good mobile resource management solution uses “tools” likesmart phones, laptops and tablets to collect field data.  Time and attendance, productivity, and project management information can be collected and sent to the office in real-time, eliminating the need to drive around to each job site.   Working smarter already! 

When the information reaches the office, integrating the mobile resource management software with your accounting or job-costing software allows you to compare budgeted hours and units against actual time spent and units placed.  Immediately know where a project stands and make critical adjustments before problems arise.   Working Smarter!

A good mobile resource management software will include other features to help your business run even more efficiently.  GPS, photo attachments, weather reports and field notes all provide detailed information that would have taken valuable time and effort to collect previously.   Even Smarter!

So, how does this make your business more profitable?  Studies have shown that companies who use a mobile resource management software complete more jobs in less time than companies who don’t.   Check out this info-graphic to see in detail how a mobile resource management solution can help your business increase profitability by running more efficiently.  Info-graphic link.


Download the Mobile Resource Management Info-graphic Now!>> 

Why is "Big Brother" watching? Not for the reasons you expect.

“Big Brother is Watching”… A term we have all come to loathe.  Whatever happened to the days when a handshake meant a deal was made and a dollar paid was a dollar earned? 

Sometimes it feels as if the use of technology is smothering.  Take GPS tracking for example.  There are various reasons that an employer would choose to use GPS tracking on their mobile workforce.   It seems that some employees feel that it is because they are not trusted.   This may be the case in some instances, but what if we look at it from a different angle. 

GPS tracking helps businesses collect money faster.    When customers are presented with a bill that

shows employees hours, and tasks along with a GPS time stamp, there is little room for debate on whether or not the work was performed.   Most of the time the bill is just paid without argument. 

GPS Tracking helps remote projects run more efficiently.   Data is collected and compared to predetermined budgets.  Sometimes adjustments need to be made to keep projects running on schedule.  GPS lets managers know where employees are working.  They can reassign employees to different projects based on location, saving commute time and keeping projects on time. 

However, when implementing a new technology like GPS tracking, how your employees receive the technology is determined by the way it is presented to them.  

Let your employees know that they are being monitored.  If honesty is an issue then letting employees know that they are being tracked can act as a deterrent.   In most cases, any dishonest actions stop as soon as they know that there is a technology in place. 

Having a discussion about implementing a new technology such as GPS can eliminate any ill will among employees.  It gives you a chance to explain the benefits to them as well as explain the benefits it provides to the business.  Questions can be asked and answered, and most of the time communication ceases any legal claims that may have come about had the technology been implemented without the employees knowledge and understanding.