education - Time Management Systems - Page 2

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16 May 2017
meeting

The Working Families Flexibility Act: What you should know

The House of Representatives recently passed the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1180), an act that would provide employees more workplace flexibility. The bill aims to give private-sector employees a choice in how they’re compensated for working more than 40 hours during a given workweek: either with cash wages or in the form of paid time off (PTO).

Employees could earn 1.5 hours of PTO, rather than being paid time-and-a-half, for every overtime hour worked. The bill has sparked much debate—despite the fact that 85 percent of employees consider workplace flexibility a major factor in taking a new job.

While waiting to see whether it passes through the Senate, here’s what you and your employees should know about the Working Families Flexibility Act.

Compensatory paid time off is optional

Private-sector employers can choose to offer PTO accrual as an alternative to overtime wages. However, they must offer both options—no employer can make compensatory PTO a requirement. Employees then have a choice between the two, and it’s entirely up to the employee.

Both employees and employers are protected

No employee can be forced to choose compensatory PTO instead of wages. Employers and employees must complete and sign a written agreement stating that the employee accepts, knowingly and voluntarily, to use compensatory time in lieu of wages. If a union represents an employee, the union must also be part of the collective bargaining agreement.

Employees will be paid for overtime—no matter what

Employees can earn up to 160 hours of compensatory PTO and are free to “cash out” their hours as they choose. The bill states that an employee who requests time off “shall be permitted by the employer to use such time within a reasonable period after making the request if the use of compensatory time does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.”

Employers have to approve the amount and dates of time requested off. This particular detail has caused the most debate, due to the fear that employers might “scam” employees and reject time off requests. However, no bill can be without regulations, as there will always be those who try to take advantage of the system.

The bill therefore ensures that employees are compensated for working overtime, no matter what. Employers designate and communicate to their employees a 12-month period—either a calendar year or some other 12-month period determined by the employer—during which the compensatory time must be used. Any PTO not used within 31 days of the designated 12-month period must be paid out to employees at the time-and-a-half overtime rate.

What does this mean for you?

This idea is nothing new—state and local government employees are already given the option between PTO and overtime pay. However, as of now, the Senate will have to vote in favor of the bill before it can move forward. If it passes, the proposed law would offer private-sector workers the flexibility to attend to personal needs and balance them more evenly with workplace commitments.

Still have questions? Read more about the Working Families Flexibility Act, or get in touch with us. We’re always happy to help!

14 Apr 2017

Three benefits of using time tracking software

Managing time means getting work done. For your business, that means being productive and, as a result, more profitable. Time tracking software provides a helpful solution to making that happen—and takes some of the burden off your human resources professionals. Streamline your business operations with these three benefits of using time tracking software.

Cost savings

As a business owner, you know that time is money. By reporting how much time is spent, and on what, your employees provide workflow insights that can then help you answer questions and make profitable decisions.

For example, how long is each part of the production process taking? How long do we want it to take? And, if those numbers don’t match, where can we reallocate time?

Monitoring your employees’ time helps you more closely examine your work processes, find inefficiencies, and take steps to improve them. You’ll cut out unnecessary expenses that are costing you money and refine your production process to be more efficient.

As an added bonus, this saves human resources professionals the time and trouble of finding inefficiencies themselves. By having a time tracking software to do it, your HR staff can focus their time on other job duties.

Useful Reporting

When making investments, people want to know that what they’re putting in is paying off—and your customers are no exception. You’ll need the numbers to prove that your services are worth their investment, and time reporting helps you find these numbers.

Our time and attendance software provides breakdowns and summaries that illustrate where hours are logged by each employee. Given this data, you can define how long each part of a project takes and provide your clientele with more accurate estimates for a project.

These summaries can also show you how much time is spent on internal versus external work—a statistic that can help you make business decisions to balance that workload in the most profitable way. Tracking time and attendance ensures that you remain compliant with labor regulations such as the Affordable Care Act, FMLA, and FLSA.

Increased productivity

Defining standard times for your processes helps you set goals for the future. Putting a set number of hours to your processes monetizes them, which shows employees how important their time and work really is. This, in turn, helps keep your employees on track and encourages them to reach those goals.

By helping you set goals, time tracking software also helps employees prioritize their work. They can then determine what needs to be done when, and focus their time accordingly. The result is more productive workflow for you and more direction for employees.

Interested? We can help.

Managing time is essential to making sure employees’ work is getting done in the most profitable way. With time tracking software, you can do exactly that—without having to micromanage. Get in touch with us today to see how time and attendance software can streamline your business operations.

09 Feb 2017

In the News: TMS Talks Tips for Trump Changes

Argus Leader Column Highlights ACA Insights

Mindy Kroll, TMS co-owner and sales manager, was featured in the Sioux Falls Business Journal, a weekly Argus Leader section. Writing for the Insight column, Mindy offered advice on Trump and Affordable Care Act changes. Head over to the Argus Leader to read more.

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