clocking in & out for breaks

[sunna]

I am a salaried, exempt manager in NC and have been required to clock in and out daily for the last year. I understand this is necessary for attendance purposes. However, I have been just told that I must now clock in & out for my lunch breaks (which was not required before). These hours are now deducted from the total I work each week (at least 50) even though many times I end up working during those breaks by answering the phone, employee's questions, or running errands.

Can I be required to clock in & out for my breaks?

[LConnell]

Exempt Employee

Exempt employees should not have their wages docked for partial days worked. So, you should not ahve your wages reduced for taking a lunch. Are you sure that you are exempt?

[Sue]

When you say the hours are deducted, do you mean in terms of hours worked as displayed on your check, or is the amount of money equal to that lunch time actually deducted from your check?

[sunna]

I haven't had my wages deducted & my check always says 80 hours no matter what even if I work 100 or more. I haven't had a problem with my check being cut because of this, but threats of discipline and/or termination because these hours are deducted from the total amount they use to figure if I'm working my "minimum" 45 hours each week. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

[Sue]

Thanks. I was pretty sure that is what you meant but I could see the other moderator thought your wages were being deducted and wanted to clear that up.

An employer can keep track of actual hours worked for many reasons, and yes, it is legal.