Practical guidance on timekeeping, pay rules, breaks, overtime and scheduling for businesses with hourly staff. Written plainly, with the sources so you can check.
Time clocks10 min read
Buddy punching survives PINs, apps and honesty policies because every one of them can be handed to a coworker. Here is what a time clock credential has to do instead.
Recordkeeping9 min read
Federal law sets two retention clocks for payroll and timekeeping records, two years and three. Here is what each one covers, what counts as a record, and where small businesses get caught.
Pay rules9 min read
Quarter hour rounding is legal under federal law if it is genuinely neutral. Two recent developments have narrowed that considerably. What the rule says, and whether you should round at all.
Breaks9 min read
Federal law requires no breaks at all. It has strict rules about paying for the ones you do give, and about half the states add requirements on top. A practical guide for shift workplaces.
Overtime9 min read
Overtime is calculated per workweek, and the workweek is yours to define. Get that definition wrong and every overtime figure downstream is wrong. A guide for shift businesses.
Privacy9 min read
A fingerprint time clock is cheap and effective, and in three states it carries obligations most buyers never hear about until a letter arrives. What the laws require, and what to ask a vendor.
Migration9 min read
The risky part of changing time and attendance software is not the setup. It is the two years of records sitting inside the account you are about to cancel. A practical migration plan.
Scheduling9 min read
Most shift schedules are built by handing out hours and hoping the floor is covered. Building the other way around takes the same time and catches the gaps before they happen.
