by "ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
Published 06/28/2017 at 10:03
by "ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
Published 06/28/2017 at 10:03
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STARS: 3
Today, I do my third mediation in 2 weeks. I do not think the case is likely to settle. My client is very confident in their case, which is representative of the madness that has gripped this state.
My client has a time clock that rounds to the nearest 15 minutes on a classic 7 up - 7 down program. Most of the workers are on sorting lines that do not start until the scheduled start time. If workers start at 6 am, theu usually clock in between 5:55 and 6, but rarely after 6. As you would expect 5:57 rounds to 6, etc. As a result, over time, many workers lose a couple of minutes that have been rounded away. This is the new hot theory, and they want my client to pay millions for this. We are fighting over meaningless minutes - that translate into big money with penalties and related exposure - that represent at best a few dollars for each worker, but a 6 figure fee for the lawyers.
Stay tuned - Friday I get to mediate for a client who seems to have no confidence in me, and questions everything that I do. I have no idea why they hired me. I have never had this experience before. I am going to get them the best deal there is to be had, and then I am going to tell them to take their business elsewhere. I don’t need the aggravation. Should make for a fun post though....
Today’s mediation is about 50 miles away, and dammit, I’m taking the Sunchaser.
"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
06/28/2017 at 10:07, STARS: 2
I get the point behind it, but when I worked a summer job during college, I actually had to punch a clock in a factory-like setting too. We had defined start times, and that’s what we got paid for. We clocked in as we walked onto the floor and clocked out as we walked off. Start, break, lunch, break, End. That was the day - nobody there cared (or seemed to) about the extra minutes they may have “given” the company.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
06/28/2017 at 10:08, STARS: 7
Good luck, and don’t forget to bill for the extra few minutes if you’re early.
"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
06/28/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 0
I work, you pay.
its pretty simple. 5 minutes here and there does add up. working 6 days for $10/hr and thats an extra $5 per week (pretax obv)
rounding is no big deal to the company i guess, they get free labor.
"Quadradeuce" (quadradeuce)
06/28/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 0
When I had a few hourly employees, I actually used a program that would figure it out to the minute. I figured there was no grey area with that approach. However, it takes time to figure that all out and when you have a lot of employees it’s not as practical.
In the end I got rid of those employees (more accurately, I didn’t replace them when they quit). Too much turnover, too much of a hassle managing them. I just do the work myself, pay myself a bit more, and I now look forward to coming into work again. If I need extra help, I just go to a temp agency.
"haveacarortwoorthree2" (haveacarortwoorthree2)
06/28/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 0
Wow, I think I’m pro-plaintiffs’ lawyer here.
As I see it, the employer has two choices. Have people clock in at the start of their shift, then move to the work area, or have people clock in early and move to the work area after clocking in. If the company chooses the latter (which it effectively has done given that it appears there is no policy against employees clocking in prior to their official start time), then the company should pay the employee for that time. And the fifteen minute rounding is bs too! There’s a reason why clocks have minute hands.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
06/28/2017 at 12:04, STARS: 0
Uggg, that sounds really stupid. Good luck and have fun in the chaser. Hopefully the is 50 miles to the coast for some cool air
"RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire" (ricerocketeer2)
06/28/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 0
Something similar probably happened at my wife’s hospital - they used to have a +/-7 window for clocking in, now they have to clock in on the hour. No idea what was really accomplished; she says there’s a lot of people that hang around the clock in machine now.