Suppose you see an employee come into work at 8:30a. When you check the employee’s timecard (virtual or in paper) at the end of the day, however, you see that the employee put down that they started work at 8a.

Can you unilaterally “correct” the time card?

That question was the subject of an excellent post of CBIA’s Diane Mokriski that was recently circulated.

Diane notes that while employers have an obligation to maintain “accurate, legible records”, that’s not the end of the story.

As she notes:

The Connecticut Department of Labor will only accept edits to timecards– whether cross-outs or notations of different time entries — if initialed by the employee. The same rule applies to ‘fill-ins’ of missing time card punches; an employer may not write-in missing entries unless the employee initials the entry.

I recommend the full post to you along with a great video recap from a 2022 HR Conference by the CBIA.

The CBIA publishes numerous “HR Hotline” posts throughout the year; they are a great resource for small to mid-size employers and answer several issues that arise in practical workable ways.