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Time and Effort Reporting

Section: Human Resources Index: C-29
Subject: Employee - Time And Effort Reporting

Policy

This document establishes policy and procedural requirements for preparing and reporting employee payable hours worked, use of accrued leave, compensatory time, unpaid leave or categories of work subject to special pay requirements. This policy, which complies with state and federal regulations and U.H. System policy 02.F.03, applies to all non-exempt and regular benefits eligible employees regardless of appointment type or the source of funds from which paid. (References)

Policy Provisions

  1. State law requires that regular, full-time staff and faculty employees work a minimum of 40 hours per week, unless on an approved leave. Exempt employees are required to work whatever hours are necessary to satisfactorily accomplish their jobs. Part-time employees are required to work the number of hours per week represented by their FTE.
  2. Normal university hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Staff employees may work different hours if an Alternate Work Schedule has been approved in accordance with UHV Policy C-24. For time and effort reporting purposes, the University work week begins Wednesday and ends Tuesday. (References)
  3. Each non-exempt employee is required to clock in and clock out to record time worked by entering in and out punches on a web clock or time collection device and submit absence requests for time to be deducted for vacation, sick absence or other periods not at work during regularly scheduled workdays. Each electronic timesheet must be reviewed and approved by the employee’s supervisor/Reports To Manager (RTM) or designee by the calendar due date set by the HR office to insure timely payment.
  4. Each benefits-eligible exempt employee (including faculty, administrative and professional staff) is required to submit absence requests for time to be deducted for vacation, sick leave or other periods not at work during regularly scheduled workdays.
  5. A UH System payroll calendar is published annually reflecting appropriate due dates.
  6. Departments are responsible for reconciling approved reported time and absence requests with appropriate payroll reports to ensure that employees are paid accurately.
  7. Federal regulations require that employees who contribute or charge time to one or more major functions or activities report the distribution of their effort to each activity, if one or more activities involve sponsored projects. Sponsored project activities include those activities for which time and effort is directly charged to a sponsored project cost center and includes sponsored research, research training, public service and educational service. Any federal funds received for conducting sponsored research shall follow a certification process that complies with the requirements set forth in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or Part 200 – uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards. Effort reporting requirements for activities involving sponsoring projects can be found on the UHV Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website. (References)

Definitions

Benefits Eligible Employee - A regular benefits-eligible employee is defined as one who is employed for at least 20 hours per week on a regular basis for a period of at least four and one-half continuous months, excluding students employed in positions which require student status as a condition of employment. A benefits eligible employee may be classified as either exempt or non-exempt.

Department Payroll Administrator - The person in the department who is responsible for administering the reporting of time.

Effort - The activities, functions or categories to which employees direct their time and energies, including instruction, sponsored projects and departmental administration.

Employee - Any person employed by the university and paid through the payroll system.

Exempt Employee - An employee in a position that is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). (References) Exempt employees are paid on a monthly basis and are required to work the hours necessary to complete the job.

Full Time Equivalency (FTE) – Represents the percentage of time an employee is required to work based upon a 40 hour work week.

Non-Exempt Employee - An employee in a position deemed non-exempt by the Fair Labor Standards Act, and therefore subject to the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Non-exempt employees are paid bi-weekly on an hourly basis. A non-exempt employee may or may not be benefits eligible.

P.A.S.S. – Acronym for People Advantage Self Service, a feature that gives employees access to payroll and benefit information.

Payroll Approver (PA) -The Payroll Approver’s (PA) primary duties are to review the timesheets before the final payroll runs, reconcile payroll verification reports, certify the existence of approved requests for leave to support any leave submitted through TRAM and insure that Time Reporters are in the system under the correct Workgroups.

Reports To Manager (RTM) / Supervisor - The person in the department to whom the employee immediately reports and who is responsible for the employee’s work assignment and oversight.

Time Collection Device (TCD) – Electronic biometric time collection device for certain hourly employees.  TCDs are located in designated areas where the employee is responsible for clocking in/out by scanning their thump or fingerprint. Data from TCDs is collected and loaded to payroll for processing.

Time Reporter (TR) - The term used for all UHV employees whether biweekly or monthly. Monthly Time Reporters request leave through the Absence Management System which, when approved by the Reports To Manager (RTM), loads onto a timesheet. Biweekly Time Reporters load regular hours onto their timesheets by clocking in and out each workday by webclock (PASS) or TCD. Biweekly Time Reporters load leave onto their timesheets through the Absence Management system.

TRAM – Acronym for Time Reporting and Absence Management, the automated payroll system for capturing and processing time and leave for all employees.  Absence Management is a feature of TRAM that requires all benefits eligible employees request paid and unpaid leave electronically. Leave includes vacation, sick leave, unpaid leave, bereavement and emergency.

University Work Week - Wednesday through Tuesday, for time and effort reporting.

Web Clock -  Time collection for hourly non-exempt employees through P.A.S.S. Hourly employees assigned to the web clock are responsible for clocking in and out via the web clock from a University computer to report time worked and meal breaks. Time is transmitted from web clock punches to the payroll system for processing.

Procedures

Detailed procedures for time and effort reporting including employee and manager training guides are posted on the Human Resources website. Questions concerning any procedures should be directed to the UHV Payroll office. (References)

A basic procedural overview follows:

  1. Non-Exempt Employees must report time worked by entering in/out punches on the web clock in P.A.S.S. or on an assigned time collection devices (TCD). 

Time Collection Device Users - A typical workday might produce the following punches:
(1) In (first punch of the day)
(2) Start Meal (out for lunch)
(3) End Meal (return from lunch)
(4) Out (last punch of the day)

Web Clock Users - A typical workday might produce the following punches:

(1) In (first punch of the day)
(2) Meal (out for lunch)
(3) In (return from lunch)
(4) Out (last punch of the day)

The RTM is required to correct electronic time sheets for missed punches and to enter hours worked for a non-exempt employee if the employee was not available to submit punches for the hours worked. Comments must be entered on the timesheet to substantiate any corrections made or an entry of hours worked directly onto the time sheet and not through employee punches. Time worked may be viewed in P.A.S.S, however punches or calculated hours worked can only be modified or corrected by the RTM.

Incorrect punch types which are not corrected by the RTM may result in the employee being paid incorrectly or not paid until the correction is made.

The RTM must approve a non-exempt employee’s electronic time sheet at the end of each work week to ensure timely payment.

  1. Exempt Employees - are not required to clock in or out. Regular hours worked, based on their FTE, are pre-approved in the payroll system and therefore do not need to be submitted electronically. However, exempt employees, including faculty, administrative and professional staff) are required to submit an absence request in P.A.S.S. for any paid or unpaid leave.

  2. Absence Requests – Non-Exempt and Exempt
    1. Non-exempt and exempt employees are required to submit absence requests electronically using the form available through P.A.S.S. for vacation, sick leave, compensatory time or other periods not at work.
    2. The payroll system will prevent the submission of absence requests for vacation, sick leave or compensatory time that exceeds the employee’s available leave balance.
    3. Employees may view their absence requests and approval status in P.A.S.S.
    4. Holidays are not reported on the time sheet.
    5. It is not necessary to submit an absence request for leave for time away from the office as a witness on the university’s behalf, to attend conferences and other work-related training or to attend college credit courses approved under the College Release Program.
    6. The RTM is required to review and electronically approve, deny or return absence requests for revisions in accordance with the University’s Leave of Absence policy. Comments are required when denying or returning an absence request form.
    7. The RTM is required to enter electronic absence requests on behalf of the employee if the employee is unavailable to ensure that appropriate leave is recorded for timely payment and adjustment of employee leave balances. Comments must be entered on the absence request form by the RTM to justify the submission.
    8. The RTM is also required to correct the employee’s electronic time sheet to adjust for leave requested but not taken. Comments must be entered on the time sheet to justify corrections made by the RTM.
  3. Employees Holding More Than One Position – Exempt and non-exempt employees employed in more than one job must report time worked for each job independently. The hours worked and absence requests will be maintained on separate time sheets for each employee job record. Time sheets and absence requests must be approved by the RTM for each position.

  4. The Role of Department Payroll Administrators and the Payroll Department
    1. Department payroll administrators are required to verify that all correcting time sheets and absence requests are approved by the RTM in accordance with published payroll deadlines.
    2. Approved time sheets and approved absence requests combine to create approved reported time. A time administration process is run weekly to convert reported time into payable time. Payable time is processed reported time that includes holiday hours.
    3. For Non-Exempt Employees, the Department Payroll Administrator must ensure that all electronic biweekly timesheets and absence requests have been approved and all errors corrected.
    4. For Exempt Employees, Department Payroll Administrators are required to review and approve payable time monthly to ensure time reporting codes are appropriately applied.
    5. Department Payroll Administrators must run the payroll trial and final verification reports before payroll confirms. Trial reports are to be checked and verified against the electronic time reported for non-exempt employees and the absence requests for both exempt and non-exempt employees.
    6. The Payroll Department is responsible for reviewing all corrections to ensure comments were submitted and proper justification provided. Inconsistencies with university policy are to be reported to senior management. Payroll is also responsible for reviewing and correcting exceptions, and the processing of time to ensure timely and accurate payment and recording of leave.

References


Approved by:

Signature Obtained
Raymond V. Morgan, Jr., Ph.D.

Date
6/23/17

Origination: Human Resources
Next Review Date: June, 2020 (3 years)