A Solution to Help Manage Labor Union Rules and Regulations
As you probably know, your HR and payroll staff is responsible for complying with labor union agreements. But this relationship can create challenges, particularly when your company employs workers who belong to multiple unions while also meeting the requirements of non-union employees. Explore how an automated time and attendance management system will help your HR team comply with all employee agreements.
Understanding the Challenges of Union Contracts and Compliance
Union contracts are filled with specific provisions, like how your company should pay for overtime, shift differentials, and time off. Furthermore, the terms of agreements with different unions can vary.
These contracts are designed to protect workers’ rights and ensure fair treatment, but they add complexity to your HR and payroll workflows. Managing them manually can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. It can also put a significant strain on HR personnel, requiring much of their time to manage union employees and deal with disputes and discrepancies. Employee satisfaction in both the HR department and the workforce often suffers as a result.
Automating Calculation and Tracking with a Time and Attendance Management System
As time goes on, your company is likely dealing with ever more complex labor union rules and regulations. The best strategy is harnessing technology to automate union employee management with a time and attendance solution. This will decrease compliance risk by consistently applying your policies and obligations.
When you evaluate your options, you’ll quickly discover that the best options on the market go beyond basic time tracking. Game-changing time and attendance software empowers you to set pay rules for employees working under labor union agreements, including pay rates for specific roles or jobs, overtime, jurisdiction, and shift differentials. The software automatically calculates pay quickly and accurately. It can also apply the terms of union contracts to the time each employee worked and the tasks they performed.
The best time and attendance management system for your business is designed for the real world. Contracts change all the time, and may even have retroactive effective dates. Look for a system that remembers previous pay rules and the dates they changed so your team isn’t responsible for manual calculations and adjustments.
The solution you choose should also integrate seamlessly with your HR software to streamline workflows, eliminating manual data entry and workarounds. A fully integrated system allows staff to focus on higher-value tasks and improve business outcomes.
Promote Transparency and Communication
While accuracy and efficiency alone are justifications for implementing a modern time and attendance management system, there are other benefits.
First, your organization will mitigate legal risk. A labor union can take action against your company on behalf of employees if you don’t comply with the terms of their agreement. Furthermore, leading software vendors will update functionality to address state and county compliance requirements.
For example, if your business operates in California, the Lunch Break Law requires nonexempt employees to have an unpaid, 30-minute meal or lunch break if they work a shift of five hours or longer. Employees can waive the break if their workday is less than six hours. If they work more than 10 hours a day, they must have a second break. They can waive that break if they take the first break and aren’t working for more than 12 hours. Additionally, these employees must have 10-minute rest breaks for every four-hour shift.
The law also outlines when these stipulations apply to exempt employees and when they aren’t applicable to workers who perform specific jobs. Documenting compliance with these laws can be time-consuming, and errors can put your business at risk. A solution that tracks time and automates documentation makes compliance easier.
Next, digitizing records allows you to provide transparency to employees, which can decrease the number of questions the HR team must answer and disputes that arise. Consider a time and attendance management system that allows you to grant employees access to their records. It empowers them to confirm their hours and their compensation so that they can make informed decisions about their schedules. This transparency will also help build trust among your employees and confidence that you are applying rules consistently. It will help foster a positive, productive company culture and job satisfaction.
Last, your system can become a communication hub for management and union reps. They can interact, share updates, and address concerns in real time. With communications managed centrally, your team won’t have to sort through emails to find vital information or take the time to schedule in-person meetings. Your software will facilitate smoother interactions and faster conflict resolution.
Embrace a Modern Solution with Ecotime by HBS
It’s time to usher in a new era of efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration. It’s powered by HBS technology that is designed to simplify the complexities of managing union workers.
A modern time and attendance management system automates compliance with labor union agreements and state and local laws. This works to increase trust and transparency throughout your organization.
Contact us to learn more about how we can save you time and administrative headaches. We’ll discuss an implementation process that will deliver greatest value and position your HR and payroll teams for success.
