Business Management Daily (04/21/12)

Experts say managers can alter employee time sheets to make corrections like missed vacation days, but doing so without the employee’s knowledge, without a sound business reason, and in a way that alters the employee’s pay could constitute a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers should discipline employees who allow co-workers to punch them in or consistently forget to punch in, but they must compensate employees for time worked even if they are not punched in. Exempt employees can be required to use time cards or time sheets to ensure they work the minimum amount of hours and to keep track of vacation, sick, and personal time. However, their wages should not be calculated based on the time recorded, and managers should monitor them to be sure they do not put in overtime without prior authorization.