The Importance of Employee Time Management

Tis the season for an influx of guests and visitors to your properties and, most likely, a greater number of hours logged by your non-exempt staff and seasonal workers. High season business is always welcome, but owners and operators must be mindful of the potential legal risks attendant to operating with a larger headcount and greater number of work hours.

“Off the clock” work is a familiar term in wage and hour law, which refers to non-exempt employees who perform work that is not recorded or paid. Off the clock work most often occurs at the beginning and end of employee shifts, during rest and meal breaks, as well as night and weekend work. Off the clock legal claims and investigations are of the most pervasive in wage and hour law, and they are very difficult to defend against in the absence of clear and exacting policies requiring employees to record all work time, including work performed outside employees’ normal work hours or outside the workplace.