Clock watching for the 7 minute clock in window

itsmejuli · Jun 7, 2014

Did you ask your manager or payroll department what the policy is?

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 7, 2014

Yes, it's something I loathe. Alternately, if I'm done with report and ready to punch out and leave at 7:18am, I don't want to have to stick around until 7:23 or have 15 minutes of PTO docked from my paycheck. Stupid.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jun 7, 2014

Used to do this at my facility. Apparently, it didn't jive with labor laws, and we are now paid down to the minute. The new policy is that you can clock in 5 minutes early and/or clock out 5 minutes late without penalty. So I could clock in at 0655 every day and out at 1535 every day, and rack up almost an hour of overtime- and there's nothing they can do about it. (Not that I do that unless it's unavoidable; when it's time to leave and someone took over for me, I am out of there!)

amoLucia · Jun 7, 2014

I'm not the expert on this as I'm usually salaried. But if you're on the clock and there's a period that earns overtime, then by labor law, I think the place is obligated to pay it. That's always been my take on the time clock. Your place is being really strict about OT!

One-quarter of an hour is minimum time/minimum money for one person. But if it occurs several times a payroll for many people, then it can add up for the facility's WHOLE payroll. And if it's a really big place, with really lots of staff, then I can see why admin is counting every last penny to keep payroll OT down.

So, just stand around at the clock & wait. If that's what they want, give it to them!

abbnurse · Jun 7, 2014

Hello ixchel,

This thread brings back memories....I worked 1st shift for years, and there were always several of us "early birds" waiting to clock in at 6:53am.......and another group would dash in , breathless, to clock in by 7:07am . We would sometimes have these little reminder notes clipped to our time cards asking us not to clock in before 6:53am....I always found it annoying. Once I'm there, I'm ready to work! And night shift was always glad to see us......

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jun 7, 2014

We have the same 7 minute window. The way I look at is that it gives me almost a 15 minute window to be late. Because I'm new, I've started trying to clock in at 6 minutes early, that way I get a head start on my day.

The other benefit to me is I can clock out a few minutes late without being penalized for taking OT.

OCNRN63, RN · Jun 8, 2014

That's how it's been in every hospital I've worked at. You would see people standing around the time clock waiting to punch in.

04dan14- You need to start another thread with this topic, rather than interrupting a thread on another subject.

Mortpm1 · Jun 8, 2014

My facility had 2 policies, one for PAY, and one for calculating tardiness. You would get paid if you clocked in 7 min late, but, if you clocked in ONE SECOND late, it was counted as a late arrival. No distinction between the person who got there 1 min late, or 20 min late. This has the ridiculous effect of 18 nurses standing in line at 6:52 am waiting to clock in. Of course we all got there at 6:30, so someone had to set a timer for 6:50 to remind us to stop working off the clock and run over to get in line. God help the hapless soul who was naive enough to try walking in at 7 am and clock in on time.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2014

The 7-minute-rule arose due to Kronos-style time clocks.

At many workplaces where I've ever worked, employees who clock in at 6:53am are bumped forward to 7:00am. But if one clocks in at 6:52am, the time gets bumped back as if they clocked in at 6:45am. This is why management wants people to clock in no earlier than 6:53am.

Likewise, employees who clock in at 7:07am get bumped back to 7:00am, whereas anyone who clocks in at 7:08am will be bumped forward to 7:15am. Basically, anyone who punches in between 6:53 and 7:07 will be paid as if they clocked in at 7:00am.

Most people cannot figure out that their timekeeping systems work by rounding unless they look at their time sheets. If all your hours are nice and rounded, then your employer uses Kronos-style rounding.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Jun 8, 2014

We have the same 7 minute window. The way I look at is that it gives me almost a 15 minute window to be late. Because I'm new, I've started trying to clock in at 6 minutes early, that way I get a head start on my day.
The other benefit to me is I can clock out a few minutes late without being penalized for taking OT.

No, it doesn't give you 15 minutes. Most automated systems round off in 15 minute increments for accounting purposes, but also record your raw punch time.

So if you punch in from 0701-0707, you are on time from an accounting perspective, but you are still tardy, as you are not there on the unit, ready to receive report and start your day. Even though you are still getting paid from 0700, the system still records you as tardy.

And to the OP, if you were to punch in every day 8 minutes before your start time, you would be entitled to 15 minutes of unearned pay. That would be 1.25 hours on a 5 day week, or 1.875 hours of pay if it resulted in OT. Enough people do that and it creates havoc with the budget.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jun 8, 2014

So if you punch in from 0701-0707, you are on time from an accounting perspective, but you are still tardy, as you are not there on the unit, ready to receive report and start your day. Even though you are still getting paid from 0700, the system still records you as tardy.

My facility does not issue a write up if you clock in or out within the allowed window. I would never abuse the system by always clocking in late intentionally, (but within the window) but most of my co-workers do---Every.Single.Day.

I believe I wrote that it gives you almost 15 mins--7+7=14 mins. This is probably done intentionally by HR so it doesn't add up to the 15 minute mark, which would require them to pay you.