Employees can now keep track of their hours on their iPhone thanks to a new timesheet application. This week the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched its first application for smartphones, a timesheet to help employees independently track the hours they work and calculate the wages they are owed by their employer. It also includes overtime pay calculations at a rate of one and one-half times (1.5) the regular rate of pay for all hours an employee works over 40 in a workweek.
Some features of the new tool:
- Track regular work hours, break time and any overtime hours for one or more employers
- Add comments on any information related to their work hours
- View a summary of work hours in a daily, weekly and monthly format
- Email the summary of work hours and gross pay as an attachment
- Access glossary, contact information and materials about wage laws through links to the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division
- Available in English and Spanish
This new technology is significant because, instead of relying on their employers’ records, workers now can keep their own records. This information could prove invaluable during a Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation when an employer has failed to maintain accurate employment records.
Early reviews of the timekeeping app have been positive. However, employers could see an increase in DOL inquires as a result of employees reporting recordkeeping issues, and penalties if violations are discovered. Therefore, employers are advised to:
- Make sure to comply with government requirements in regard to proper pay
- Make sure the person responsible for payroll, timekeeping records and HR is keeping accurate records
- Make sure time clocks are tracking hours according to the proper State and Federal regulations
- Make sure they are in compliance with meal and break periods
- Take all employee complaints seriously
The free app is currently compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. The DOL will explore updates that could enable similar versions for other smartphone platforms, such as Android and BlackBerry, and other pay features not currently provided for, such as tips, commissions, bonuses, deductions, holiday pay, pay for weekends, shift differentials and pay for regular days of rest.
For workers without a smartphone, the WHD has a printable work hours calendar in English and Spanish to track rate of pay, work start and stop times, and arrival and departure times. The calendar also includes easy-to-understand information about workers’ rights and how to file a wage violation complaint.
Both the app and the calendar can be downloaded from the DOL’s WHD home Web page at http://www.dol.gov/whd. For more information about federal wage laws or to order a calendar by mail, call the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).