Today more than ever companies rely on technology for their success. Companies often use technology to automatically track the hours of certain employees.
Customer service representatives working in a variety of industries log in to their computers or the phone systems at the start of each day, and log out at the end of each day.
Instead of keeping track of all of their employee’s hours worked, many companies merely use the time “logged-in” as “hours worked.”
THE ISSUE
However, using the time “logged-In” as “hours worked” fails to take into consideration all of an employee’s actually work, including work performed while not logged into the computer or the telephone system. We at SLG have seen numerous instances where an employer’s use of time “logged-in” as “hours worked” results in undercompensation.
For example, employees may be required to review policies, memos, training materials or other documents before they log-in to or after they log-out of the computer or telephone system. Similarly, employees may be required to complete paperwork before they log-in or after they log out.
A system which tracks employees’ time based upon log-in and log-out times fails to take into consideration this work being performed while not logged in, thereby creating a situation where a worker is required to perform compensable work while “off the clock.” The bottom line for the employees is that they are not compensated for this time.
If you or someone you know has worked “off the clock” while not logged into a computer at work, contact us for a free consultation to learn more about your rights.