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Frequently Asked Questions: Missing Time Punches

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LightWork® Software
Accurate employee time and attendance tracking is crucial to any company, especially when it comes to payroll. However, sometimes mistakes happen, and employees forget to clock-in or out of their shifts. Below are the answers to frequently asked questions about missed employee time punches.
 
  1. Do I have to pay my employee for the time worked before/after the missed punches?
    YES! According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, it is the responsibility of the employer to keep a record of their employees’ time and attendance. Therefore, employers are required to pay for all time worked, even if there are missed punches.
  2. Are there other corrective actions I can take?
    YES! Make sure there is a policy within your employee handbook stating the escalating forms of disciplinary actions that would occur if an employee were to regularly fail to track their time and attendance properly. The first offense can be as simple as a verbal warning, and the corrective actions can become more serious as more infractions occur, such as a day off without pay, or termination. Be consistent with each employee to ensure that no one feels like a coworker is receiving “special treatment.”
  3. How then do I calculate the amount of time the employee worked?
    There are several ways to calculate an employee’s time and attendance, even though they missed a time punch. You can base their clock-in time on the timestamp from when they first logged into their computer, started up their machinery, or even a standard time that your employees usually start working. Be sure to note the exception on their timesheet, and have the employee sign off on it, acknowledging that the mistake was made and corrected. Then have their supervisor record the missing information in your employee time and attendance software.
  4. What options are available to me to make this less of an issue in the future?
    There are many ways to ensure that your employees keep proper track of their time. For instance, providing a variety of ways and multiple chances for your employees to clock-in or out decreases their ability to forget to log their time. Consider placing timeclocks, such as LightWork Time’s biometric timeclocks, at all points of entry, and even offering a mobile option for employees working at multiple locations.
    Employee time and attendance software, such as LightWork Time, makes the process less cumbersome. LightWork Time is an automated system that sends alerts for numerous reasons, including missed punches. Within the time and attendance software, employees also have to confirm their timesheet to ensure that it is accurate and all of their time has been entered. Any changes made to the timesheet are noticeable, and an alert is sent to their supervisor or anyone else assigned to the alert.
 
If you are interested in learning more about LightWork Time to streamline your employees’ timekeeping process, contact us today for a demo.

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