Can an employer alter time punches?
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Can an employer alter time punches?
The CEO of our retail place of employment has directed our store manager to alter time punches for individual employees, to reflect a 30 minute break for employees who did not take a break during their shift. He has also had punches altered to indicate that a full 30 minute break was taken, even if the employee’s punched time indicates otherwise. He has also directed the store manager to alter punches to reflect the scheduled start of employees, rather than accepting the time as entered via time clock by the employee EG An employee punches in at 8:22 a.m. for a scheduled 8:30 a.m shift the punch is altered to indicate 8:30 a.m. This is occurring in the state of Massachusetts
Asked on January 31, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Massachusetts
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
No, this is not legal. Employers are required to keep accurate time records for hourly employees and to pay hourly employees for all time worked. Doing otherwise is a violation of the labor and wage laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). You may wish to contact your state or the federal department of labor to file a complaint.
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