Is Stealing Company Time a Crime


There are many types of employee theft. These can range from taking items directly from inventory or office supplies to offering fraudulent discounts to friends and family. One type of theft you can`t pursue as part of an integrated strategy is time theft. Business owners can help reduce wasted time by rethinking their workplace processes. Manual timing can lead to skepticism on both sides about scams. Physical clocks don`t fare much better. Now that you know what to look for, here are four solutions you can use to prevent employee time theft. Although time theft affects productivity and profitability and violates company policies, it is not a federal crime because there is no such law. However, your employer`s theft is morally reprehensible and has a huge economic impact on the business. First, employees often round up handwritten timesheets to more hours. For example, an employee works from 9:07 a.m.

to 4:52 a.m., but writes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. This way, they are paid for the whole day. A mobile tracking app also allows managers to track and track employees in real time from anywhere when an employee logs in. Workforce`s .com clock mobile app helps you manage your employees` working time and manage digital timesheets, payroll, budgeting and labor compliance reporting. Constant phone calls/social media use: Phone calls on the watch are inevitable. If this happens regularly, it can be considered time theft. A Udemy.com report found that 62% of respondents spent at least an hour of the workday looking at their phones. Today, more than ever, companies around the world are investing time and resources in optimizing and improving their business efficiency. Because time is money – and an efficient business can produce more in less time.

Distractions – such as time spent on social media platforms and non-work-related conversations – can represent theft of employees` time. Let`s say you know that two people should be able to turn around your entire store on an eight-hour shift. If, at the end of the day, they haven`t finished because they`ve been talking, then you have good reason to contact them to discuss how they spend their time. Conversely, if they finished early, the cat could have improved their mood and led to an increase in productivity. Time theft could also be a sign of a problematic work culture in your company. When morale is low, chances are employees aren`t overly satisfied with the company and the overall structure, believing they have the right to pay for the time they haven`t worked as a «refund» for the stress they`re experiencing. Reducing time theft is important because it costs your business money. However, most of the time, the theft is unintentional or the result of low employee morale. Although it is similar to other forms of employee theft, it can be problematic to treat it in the same way.

As mentioned above, how you actually deal with violations can have legal consequences. Clear rules become confusing when management ignores time theft violations. If the rules provide that the theft of a time clock receives a single written warning and then a termination, you must follow this procedure if it occurs. With timekeeping software, you can prevent fraudulent time theft and early check-in, and encourage employees to return via mobile apps when their breaks are over. Extending approved meal times and breaks is another common form of time theft. A 30-minute lunch can easily turn into a 45-minute lunch, especially if employees don`t have to go out for their lunch breaks. At EPAY, thwarting time theft is part of daily operations. As a leading provider of time tracking systems for employers whose distributed workforce is the most difficult to track and particularly vulnerable to time theft.

We offer a number of data collection options, such as: Employee time tracking software that allows employers to track and manage employees in virtually any work environment while eliminating time theft in its many sneaky forms. If you keep track of time theft, you can reduce your work budget. Learn more about fighting theft with our human capital management software. Second, when an actual clock is in use, you often see employees waiting for the minutes to pass. If your clock is running from 5:07 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., but from 5:08 a.m. to 5:15 a.m., an employee can stand on the clock to earn fifteen minutes of extra pay. If you`re wondering if you can be fired if you`re caught stealing time from work, the answer is likely. Today, there is no federal or state law that defines the disciplinary measures employees need for their time-stealing transgression. Second, if you find instances of employee time theft and choose to claim financial compensation and/or reprimand the employee, it is possible that how the policy is enforced (or not) will be considered official policy.

Time theft can occur in several ways. In order for your company`s human resources department to assess the extent of the problem, it is important to conduct a thorough review of employee habits. Here are some of the ways employees steal time: It`s often wise to consult a lawyer, even if you haven`t been formally charged or charged with subscription fraud.