Punching In/Breaks

[steve59]

I was under the understanding that time work is time paid. One employer does not pay its employee until their scheduled start time. So if you show up 5 minutes early and clock in, you wont get paid. You are supposed to wait and clock in at your scheduled time.

In addition, is there an Iowa law on breaks for non-exempt employees? This employer gives no breaks during the day. Does it depend on the paticular job/field that the job is in?

Thanks!

[Pattymd]

Time worked is time paid. However, if you clock in early and aren't working, you do not have to be paid. The employer is also allowed to round your time to the nearest 15-minutes (at most), as long as it is done consistently and not always to the advantage of the employer.

[cbg]

The state of Iowa has no laws requiring that adult employees in any industry receive breaks of any kind at all.

[steve59]

Well the person who does our timecards is not even at work to know if we are working or not. He just starts paying us at our scheduled work time.

thanks for the help

[Pattymd]

But somebody knows. Management is expected to know. Have you taken this issue to your manager or to Human Resources? Is payroll changing your time card without authorization?

[steve59]

Yes, my old manager paid us when we punched in. Our new manager changes our timecards to pay us when we are scheduled to start work and the punches us out when we actually punch out.

I talked to my managers manager about it and he said that was the policy is in place so that people dont show up 15 minutes early for their shift just to make the extra money.

[Pattymd]

But, as I said, even if you are punched in, if you are not working, the law does not require you be paid. Sounds like you lucked out before. As long as you are not performing any services during that time, you do not legally have to be paid for it. And, it is a wise business decision for your company to make; they're spending money that is not required by law otherwise.

[steve59]

But we are working. Getting ready to start business, IE getting the computers etc.

[Pattymd]

If you are preparing equipment for operation, you are working.