Payroll corrections and time card issues? -

I process payroll for a mid-size company. We require that each employee sign their hourly time card daily. In addition, the hours worked are put on a time-sheet and posted by the employee lockers for at least a full business day so that the employees can verify that they are getting paid the correct hours. If they believe there is an issue, they need to come to me to get it corrected before I submit the payroll. Yet, almost weekly, I still have at least one employee (out of 60) who somewhere along the week forgets to sign a time-card. Our policy is that the additional hours are paid to the employee on the business day after the payroll day, because it s just not feasible to issue a check on that very day. I had one of those employees who missed a sign-off in here today, yelling at me, because he needs his money. He s threatening to go to the Department of Labor, for withholding his wages. Am I breaking any laws by being unable to get an additional check to this employee on the day that the wages are due to him? We have given him ample time to make corrections and he can cash his check for 72 hours that he has in his hands, so he s only missing 8 hours of his check, money that will be issued to him on Monday.

Being the policy is as stated and the employee knows it you are not breaking any laws. Rules are rules, bending one leads to another. Stick by your guns and your established policies!Note: An employee yelling would get one warning to calm down and an explanation of the rules. Further attempts to intimidate or make threats would be cause for immediate dismissal.

If the policy is written and stated in your employee handbook and he has received a copy of this handbook that was gone over with him during orientation, you are not violating any laws. However it is important to maintain good employee moral and if he is a first time offender it is very likely and possible to pay him out of petty cash (if you are able) and remind him of the policy and the rule that this issue can never come up again.

The problem s not with you. Unfortunately, there are people who live paycheck to paycheck. For him, this may have been a crisis situation. However, if it is really that important to someone to get their money, then they need to take responsibility on their end. To be honest at my company, if there is a payroll problem it is made up in the next paycheck (which are issued every two weeks). We don t cut a separate check, and we don t pay interest on what is owed. Just a suggestion, perhaps it is time to send out a formal statement (reminder) on what the policy is, and the consequences of not following through on the employee s side.