UPDATES:
- May 31: The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced planned updates to the Fair Labor Standards Act compensation threshold. The updates will increase the threshold on July 1, 2024, then again on Jan. 1, 2025. Read more.
As a supervisor, you are responsible for making sure your employees are paid accurately and on time. Explore the tips and information below to help you ensure employees report their time accurately.
Supervisor Responsibilities
- Ensure your direct reports understand overtime policies, procedures and expectations.
- Authorize overtime in advance of hours being worked, only after exploring all alternatives, such as changing priorities, reassigning work, or offsetting excess hours with reduced hours another day in the same workweek.
- Pay employees for hours worked even if unplanned or unapproved overtime occurs.
- Remedy and prevent situations where employees continually work unapproved overtime.
Key Things to Remember
Time Reporting
As a Time Approver, you should be able to answer your employees inquiries related to timekeeping, payroll processing, the Fair Labor Standards Act and payroll exceptions.
Rest, Meals and Travel
Rest periods: You may allow paid rest of up to 15 minutes for every four hours worked.
Meal periods: You may allow unpaid mealtime of at least 30 uninterrupted minutes daily.
Travel time: It is paid between job sites if the job requires travel. This does not include travel between home and work.
Overtime vs. Compensatory Time
Overtime is hours worked beyond an employee's regular hours. Overtime can be compensated as pay, or as compensatory (comp) time. The employer can determine which option is used to compensate overtime. Typically, the max accrual of Comp Time is 120 hours.