Federal and State Wage-Hour Laws

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to keep certain time and pay records for nonexempt employees. These employees are eligible for the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and must complete monthly time sheets to track all hours worked and leave taken during the monthly pay period.

In Oregon, the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI)is responsible for administering Oregon's wage and hour laws. 

Supervisors and Employees

• The university requires that both the supervisor and employee sign and date timesheets. The signatures certify that the contents of the document are accurate and true.  A timesheet may serve as evidence in the event of a future dispute over wage or work injury claims.  Time sheets are legal documents.

   

• Restricted funds (e.g. grants and work-study) require the signature of the Principal Investigator or someone with direct knowledge of the level of effort expended in accomplishing the project to sign on the timesheet.

   

• All timesheets must be completed in blue or black ink.
   
• All signatures must be original.  Signature stamps by supervisors are not permitted.
   
• When making corrections to a previously signed timesheet, the employee should strike through the error, and write the correct figure above, below, or to the side.  White out or correction tape is not permitted. The employee and the supervisor must re-certify all corrections using initials.

   

• In the absence of an employee’s supervisor, another supervisor within the unit who has knowledge of the employee’s daily attendance should validate the employee’s hours.  A designee who can serve as signatory on the timesheet should be officially named in the supervisor’s absence.  This designation must be in writing.
   
• If the employee is not available for signature by the payroll deadline, submit the timesheet with the supervisor’s original signature to your department payroll coordinator for processing, and write on the employee signature line “not available for signature.”   Upon the employee’s return, have the employee sign and date the timesheet. 
   
• If additional hours are to be paid or if there are adjustments to leave previously reported, make a copy of the original timesheet.  Write “Amended Copy” at the top and have the employee and supervisor initial any changes.  Both the employee and supervisor will need to re-sign the amended timesheet in the signature block  prior to submission to the department payroll coordinator.

Payroll Coordinators

• Timesheets should be delivered directly to the department payroll coordinator by the supervisor; never by the employee.  Timesheets should never be left in open mail box slots or on chairs. 
                  
• Payroll coordinators must verify the signature of the supervisor.  If the signature looks questionable, time is not to be keyed until the issue with the signature is resolved.  If the payroll coordinator is unable to resolve the issue before the payroll deadline, the matter should be taken to the payroll coordinator’s supervisor or to Department Head for resolution.
   
• Payroll coordinators should never change anything on a timesheet.  All changes must be made and initialed by the employee and the employee’s supervisor. 

   

• To avoid conflict of interest, payroll coordinators should not process leave or pay for relatives working in their department.  

   

• Self-entry of time by payroll coordinator in small departments: 
  • When payroll coordinators enter their own time and leave records, their direct supervisors must review the accuracy of the inputting to the Banner record by comparing the Payroll Expense Report by Person.  See Segregation of Duties for overview and PHAHOUR Self-Entry Authorization Form.

     

  • This review must be done on a monthly basis, after time entry window has closed.  The supervisor must then sign and date the report.  A copy of this report must be retained in the department files along with the department’s timesheets according to the university’s record retention guidelines.
• After data entry is completed, payroll coordinators should run the following reports to review for errors or omissions:   Hours Entered Report & Leave Balances Report.  These reports should be kept in central departmental time and attendance files.

   

• Original timesheets are to be retained according to the university’s record retention policy. This includes all backup documents, such as requests for overtime and vacation leave requests. 
• Each month a copy of the Payroll Expense Report by Person should be given to both the Department Head and Departmental Budget Manager for review.  A Department Head is ultimately responsible for oversight of payroll expenses and should never completely delegate this role to subordinate staff.     

Electronic or Web-Based Time Keeping Systems

• Departments using electronic or web-based timekeeping systems may rely on the time stamp as the employee certification. Supervisors must review and approve a summary of the employees’ hours within their division who report to them. This may be accomplished by an online review and approval process. Both the employee and supervisor should re-certify all corrections.
• Banner is the official system of record for time and leave reporting.  Maintaining official leave balances and salary information on auxiliary systems and not on Banner is not allowed.  Departmental time and attendance system must be reconciled to Banner on a monthly basis.
• Departments with automated time and attendance systems are expected to follow published record keeping rules for retention of time records.