For decades, American employers have used the legally endorsed policy of rounding employees’ time to the nearest quarter hour. This has always been permissible, provided the policy was neutral in effect, meaning that on balance employees were not underpaid as a result. Back in the days not so long ago when payroll was calculated by scribes in green visors and sharp pencils, rounding made perfect sense, as trying to pay to the minute when someone on a 9:00 am – 5:00 pm shift clocks in a 8:57 am (so as not to violate the punctuality policy) and doesn’t leave their work station until 5:00 (again to not violate policy) and clocks out at 5:05, would have been far more cumbersome. So rounding to the nearest quarter hour was permitted, provided “it all comes out even in the wash” so as not to deprive employees, on balance, of time worked.
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