Another Reason to Maintain Accurate Time Records
Posted on 06-Dec-08 by The Timekeeper
As if there weren’t enough reasons already to maintain accurate time and attendance records… how about avoiding the payment of unemployment benefits to a fired employee?
Consider the case of Cuccia v. Martinez & Ritorto, P.C.
The New York Supreme Court recently upheld a decision by the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board denying unemployment compensation to a legal secretary who was fired from her job for being repeatedly late to work. The Court noted, “…continued lateness, despite prior warnings, has been held to constitute disqualifying misconduct…”
Thing is, unless you’ve got good time and attendance records, how can you know (much less prove) an employee has repeatedly been late to work?
If you have no time records at all for your salaried non-exempt and hourly workers and you’re looking for something you can implement in a matter of minutes, time sheets would better than nothing. All you need is a timesheet form and a photocopier, or some spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. But they aren’t ideal. Hand-written or spreadsheet-based time sheets are notoriously inaccurate. People often wait to fill them out until just before it’s time to hand them in… and, seriously, who’s going to remember (and report) that they came in three minutes late last Monday, when nobody actually saw them arrive?
Look, there’s software available for less than $100 that will accurately track your employees’ arrival and departure times. For a little more money, a biometric system will definitely ensure the employee is physically present for each punch. If you prefer, you could find software or subscription services that will allow them to clock in and out using their telephone or a web browser, so even telecommuting or remote workers’ time can still be accurately tracked.
The point is, tracking employee time and attendance can be useful in more ways than you might expect. And with all the alternatives available, you’ve really got no excuse… so get out there and get tracking!
Hat tip to the Adjunct Law Prof Blog for bringing this to my attention!
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- Wage and Hour Division Beefs Up Staff
- Too Small for Time and Attendance?
- How to Take a Punch
- The Importance of Keeping Time
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