Vision Payroll

Which smartphone tools are employees downloading about their workplace rights that can be used against their companies?

Smartphone Apps That Employees May Be Using Are Varied in Approach and Information

The first type of app are apps such as JobCompass™, a web and mobile job search application that searches millions of jobs, locating and plotting them on a map showing you exactly where the jobs are in relation to a certain location. Other apps help people determine how much a certain job should pay in a particular area, which can used both by job seekers to determine if a job offer is fair and by employees to determine if their pay is competitive with others in the same job.

A second type of app is intended to be used by people thinking about eating at a certain restaurant, staying at a certain hotel, or applying for a particular job. These apps will give information such as health or labor violations and can be searched on name, address, entity type and many other fields.

Other apps track things such as OSHA violations and which companies have sent jobs overseas.

As the use of smartphone apps expands, many different apps and types of apps will become available.

How Should Employers Train Managers and Communicate with Employees About These Items?

To learn the valuable tips for dealing with these issues and much more, be sure to listen to DOL-based Smartphone Apps Employees Might Use Against Employers in this month’s HRCast, a recording provided by our team of HR Pros and available exclusively on MyHRSupportCenter.

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Visit MyHRSupportCenter regularly, not only for our HRCasts, but also to get late-breaking compliance alerts, best practices to implement, and HR tools to use every day. If you haven’t yet signed up and would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

As previously described, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has launched its “DOL-Timesheet” smartphone application designed specifically to allow employees to track their daily hours worked. The app marks another step in the DOL’s strategic “Plan/Prevent/Protect” initiative of increased workplace compliance enforcement efforts. This app serves as a reminder to employers to make sure that their systems and processes accurately account for employees’ hours worked.

As more and more employees become familiar with, and start to utilize,  the DOL’s timesheet app, they may become more likely to file wage and hour grievances with the DOL. For employers, an important protection against employee grievance filings is making sure that your business satifies its obligations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Challenges

• Discrepancies between employer’s and employee’s records
• Employee manipulation of records for more pay
• Absence of employer records used as a basis for wage claims

Immediate Actions to Take

• Require employees and their supervisors to verify (with signatures) the accuracy of time records
• Review/update relevant employee handbook policies
• Make sure timekeeping systems are accurate and consistent
• Regularly audit the company’s time records

Learn More About the DOL Free Smartphone App for Your Employees

To get more details about the DOL free smartphone App for your employees, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, The US DOL’s Free Smartphone App…Made for Your Employees, Part II. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

On May 9, 2011, the US Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of its first smartphone application, the “DOL-Timesheet” designed specifically for employees. In a DOL news release that same day, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis stated that by leveraging “increasingly popular and available technology …this app will help empower workers to understand and stand up for their rights when employers have denied their hard-earned pay.” However, this tool can be problematic for small to mid-sized businesses. Employers need to take extra caution to ensure that employees are absolutely paid correctly, complaints are handled effectively, and recordkeeping is maintained accurately.

DOL Timesheet Currently Available for iPhone and iPod Touch

The free app is currently compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Labor Department will explore updates that could enable similar versions for other smartphone platforms, such as Android and BlackBerry, and other pay features not currently provided for, such as tips, commissions, bonuses, deductions, holiday pay, pay for weekends, shift differentials and pay for regular days of rest.

Learn More About the DOL Free Smartphone App for Your Employees

To find get more details about the DOL free smartphone App for our employees, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, The US DOL’s Free Smartphone App…Made for Your Employees, Part I. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.