In the previous blog post, we covered three considerations to keep in mind to avoid costly meal and break pitfalls. As we dive deeper into this topic, we'll highlight how time and attendance tracking systems can help employers improve compliance with state meal and break laws.
Beyond counting noses, advanced time tracking systems are packed with features that help employers cut labor costs, increase control over budgets and reduce the risk of a costly lawsuit or fine. However, not all time and attendance tracking systems are designed to accommodate the unique needs of a distributed labor environment.
Features Included in Time and Attendance Tracking Systems
When it comes to maintaining compliance with state meal and break laws, look for time and attendance tracking systems that offer the following features:
- Real-time tracking of actual meal and break punches.
- Automatic alerts to the system when breaches with mandated meal and break laws occur.
- Ability to send real-time alerts to managers, via text or email, when meals or breaks aren’t taken on schedule.
- Automatic meal and break deductions, but with the added safeguard of employee confirmation. In other words, make sure the system won’t deduct the break time until employees confirm that they’ve taken their designated break during their next punch.
- Blocking of an employee’s punch-out when the worker hasn’t complied with meal and break requirements. The system then notifies the employee that managerial approval is required, so the issue can be immediately addressed.
- Calculation of multi-shift rules, allowing for multiple meal and break deductions when employees work extended or multiple shifts.
- Built-in analytics, which give employers the capability to monitor meal and break compliance by reviewing real-time reports. These reports should identify employees, managers, and/or worksites that are frequently out of sync, allowing for training and corrective action. In addition, because these reports document an employer’s ongoing effort to maintain labor law compliance, they serve as powerful tools in the event of a lawsuit or labor investigation.
Improving Employee Time and Labor Management
Here at EPAY, we incorporate all of these features and many more to help you combat the complexities of maintaining compliance. Learn more about our time collecting methods and see how we can save your company money in labor dollars and compliance lawsuits.