Timekeeping FAQs

1. When will the timekeeping changes go into effect?

Existing policy already requires employees and their supervisors to document certain information regarding their time records and this will not change. The requirement that non-exempt (hourly paid) employees record their time, make any corrections, and provide required approvals in our time and leave system by 1PM on the Monday after the pay period closes is in effect now. The requirement that exempt employees request time off through this system is also in effect now.  

In addition a new process where non-exempt employees will receive automated notifications when they need to approve timecard changes, made by someone other than themselves will start soon.

2. What do I need to focus on to improve timekeeping?

All faculty, staff, and student workers are required to use our time and leave system, and so everyone could see some changes to their workflow. A large majority of our employees and supervisors are already approving timecards, submitting leave requests and entering supervisory approvals in an accurate and timely manner. In circumstances where non-exempt employee time or leave entries need to be corrected after the employee approves them, however, will result in changes, which will vary depending on how you are compensated and whether you have supervisory responsibility.

  • Non-Exempt (Hourly Paid)

Employees and supervisors are responsible to ensure time entry, corrections, and approvals are made in our time and leave system by 1PM on the Monday after the pay period closes. Moving forward, you will receive notifications if your timecard entries are not accurate (e.g., missing punches), if corrections need to be made for errors, and if you do not approve your timecard by the pay period deadline by 1PM on the Monday after the pay period closes. If a supervisor, Payroll, Time and Leave Team, or HR Staff needs to correct your timecard after you approve it, you will need to provide an additional approval of those changes. To minimize notifications, we encourage employees to correct any errors on their own timecard entries themselves when possible.

  • Exempt and Non-Exempt

All employees must continue to request time off through the time and leave system in an accurate and timely manner, so that it can be appropriately reviewed by your supervisor for the pay period in which it occurs and to keep an accurate accounting of your leave balances. The time and leave system allows you to submit requests in advance if you know you will need time away from the office.

  • Supervisors

If you are a supervisor with time management responsibilities, you must continue to review and approve all nonexempt time records and all exempt time off requests in the time and leave system before the pay period deadline of 1PM on the Monday following the close of the pay period. You must also review and approve or deny all time off requests, including those made by exempt employees, on a timely basis.

Additionally, you may not have anyone start working for you that has not been fully onboarded by Human Resources – including any existing employee who is taking on a new or additional position. Failure to properly onboard may result in the employee not being paid accurately and on time, which is a legal violation and unfair to the employee. Employees who hire new staff must ensure that their paperwork is expeditiously routed to the appropriate department for processing so there is no delay in issuing paychecks on regular paydays.

3. Why are we focusing on these areas?

To ensure that we have legally compliant records to show that we are paying our employees on time for their hours worked, and to ensure that no employee pay is delayed or inaccurate.

4. Why is it important to meet the documentation requirements and deadlines related to time management?

Federal and state law require that the University System have detailed records to show that all employees are timely paid, and these changes should help us do that. The first, key element to our success is that all employees record their time into the time and leave system – including time off requests, corrections, and final approvals of any changes made by supervisors, Payroll, Time and Leave Team, or HR Staff. The second critical element to our success is that supervisors review and approve timecards by the pay period close deadline. Fixing time entry errors after the deadline results in inefficiencies and adds significant additional work for employees, supervisors, the Time and Leave Team, and the Payroll department.

5. How does this impact our hiring practices?

It has always been expected that employees will be properly included in our payroll system before they start work. No one should be working prior to being onboarded by Human Resources, including student employees and active employees who are taking on an additional job in our institutions. USNH teams do sometimes run up against time sensitive workloads and priorities, with an immediate need for staff. However, USNH policy requires that any new employee (including student hourly employees) cannot start work before they are fully onboarded; they must complete all new employee paperwork (including I-9 forms), and then be properly onboarded into payroll, HR, IT, and Finance systems before beginning any job at USNH so their time worked can be tracked and reported in accordance with the law. They must be timely paid for all hours worked, starting from their first day of work. In addition, employees who hire new staff must ensure that their paperwork is expeditiously routed to the appropriate department for processing.

6. Will I receive additional guidance on how to do this work?

Yes, job aides and training are currently being refreshed and will be distributed based on employee roles.

For all other questions Book a 1on1, Q&A, or Training Session with a Time and Leave Specialist or call 603-862-8258 to leave a voicemail. This is a monitored voicemail box and calls will be returned the next business day. TALT highly recommends scheduling a 1 on 1 session to allow for screensharing.

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