Human Resources Questions for Dentists: Pay staff for Lunch & Learn? Tracking employee hours
Handling a small business and issues that come up with staff members can be daunting for some dentists. After all, they went to dental school, not business school. That's why the experts from Bent Erickson & Associates are here to help. Because no dentist wants to get in trouble due to mishandling staff issues.
This article first appeared in DE's Expert Tips & Tricks. To receive enlightening and helpful practice management articles in this e-newsletter twice a month, visit dentistryiq.com/subscribe.
QUESTION: We offer Lunch & Learns to our employees. The office pays for lunch. Since the time is during lunch, we make this an unpaid event in terms of wages, and the Lunch & Learn is voluntary. Should the time at the Lunch & Learn, for those who attend, actually be paid?
ANSWER: There are four criteria for determining compensation at any CE event, including Lunch & Learns. These criteria are: 1) the event is voluntary, 2) the event is outside of normal work hours, 3) no productive work is performed during the event, and 4) the content is not directly related to the employee’s job. If only one of these criteria is not met, then the CE event must be compensated.
Lunch & Learns do not meet criteria Nos. 2 and 4. Therefore, it is our conclusion that Lunch & Learns must be paid time for those who attend.
QUESTION:We use a computer for tracking all of our employees’ hours. Currently, employees do not have to sign anything. Should we be obtaining a signature from staff members? Can this be on the computer electronically, or does this have to be printed out?
ANSWER: It is recommended that employees have an opportunity to review their time records and sign off in order to attest to the fact that all hours have been submitted and everything is correct. Employees have up to three years to file a wage claim for unpaid wages and overtime. Records with the employees’ signature can go a long way to combat a claim of that type.
How this is best accomplished is up to you. If it can be done electronically, then that should be okay as long as the employees have followed any digital signature steps. It can also be printed out and kept in hard copy format if that works better. The important thing is to ensure the employees have it in case a claim is ever filed at some point.
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Human Resources Questions for Dentists is provided by Rebecca Boartfield and Tim Twigg of Bent Ericksen & Associates. Tim Twigg is president and Rebecca Boartfield is a human resources compliance consultant with Bent Ericksen & Associates. For 30 years, the company has been a leading authority in human resource and personnel issues, helping dentists deal successfully with the ever-changing and complex labor laws. To receive a complimentary copy of the company’s quarterly newsletter or to learn more about its services, call (800) 679-2760 or visit bentericksen.com.
