HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0005) IR 20-10510 - Time Sheet Requirement ChangesINFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 20-10510
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 17, 2020
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SUBJECT: TIMESHEET REQUIREMENT CHANGES
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Background:
PeopleSoft Payroll was implemented in 2010 to standardize payroll processes and to enforce
consistent application of payroll policies across the organization. The transition to PeopleSoft was
challenging and some employee paychecks were initially shorted. Some Fair Labor Standards
Act non-exempt employees who are paid hourly wages experienced financial difficulties due to
payroll underpayments. Payroll rules were created in PeopleSoft to automatically identify and
correct differences between reported time and standard schedule time to avoid underpayment
and any associated negative financial impact on employees. In every pay period, there are
scenarios where the automatic corrections are applied to an employee's pay. A review of pay
periods from October 2019 to July 2020 found 122 employees whose time was corrected by the
automatic rule. In most cases the automatic corrections are accurate with routine timekeeping
reviews identifying and correcting instances where the automatic corrections are inaccurate.
Unfortunately, one result is that automatic corrections have resulted in creating the opposing
problem of some employees being overpaid when the automatic rule is triggered.
Discussion:
Automatic corrections can result in overpayments in four different scenarios:
• an employee doesn't fill any information in the timesheet,
• an employee enters information but does not `submit' the timesheet,
• an employee works an alternate schedule different from the standard schedule, and
• an employee separates from employment at the city but the electronic Personnel Action
Requests is not entered before payroll processing.
As outlined above, three of the four instances causing overpayments are a direct result of
employees not properly documenting their time before payroll processing is completed.
Attachment 1 provides an illustration of these scenarios. In these scenarios a non -numerical entry
is made to the time sheet (a space or a blank) and the standard schedule indicates hours should
have been worked. To be favorable to the employee and avoid an underpayment, the standard
schedule hours are substituted into the timesheet. In most cases, the correction is warranted with
timekeepers correcting instances where the correction is incorrect. Payroll exception reports are
available to assist in reviewing and correcting these scenarios. Overpayments occur in cases
where the reviews being done to catch employee's mistakes are inadequate.
In order to reduce the potential for overpayments, Payroll staff will modify the payroll system to
remove the automatic corrections when there is a mismatch between employee reported time and
standard schedule time. When the change is made, the PeopleSoft Payroll system will only pay
time reported by the employee. Attachment 1 illustrates how time will be processed after the
changes are made. Employees who did not accurately record their hours in the time sheet will
potentially be underpaid.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 20-10510
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 17, 2020
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SUBJECT: TIMESHEET REQUIREMENT CHANGES
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The changes are scheduled to be implemented in the first pay period of 2021. To minimize the
potential for underpayments, Payroll staff will initiate a communications campaign to make
employees aware of the changes and to emphasize accurate time recording in the time sheet.
Payroll staff is adding two additional off -cycle payroll runs to quickly issue payments for
employees who may be underpaid due to their errors in under -reporting hours.
Please contact Jay Chapa, Deputy City Manager, if you have any questions.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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4 SUBJECT: TIMESHEET REQUIREMENT CHANGES
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No. 20-10510
November 17, 2020
Page 3 of 4
Scenario #1: Employee does not fill in their Timesheet Scenario #1: Employee does not fill in their Timesheet
Calendar Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Calendar Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
Schedule k
00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 Schedule 0.00 0,00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
Timesheet
Payable Time
Blank I Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank I nlnnk
Without the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
6006_�00
8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
k
Scenario #2: Employee reviews but does not submit
their Timesheet
Calendar Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
Schedule
Timesheet
Payable Time
k-00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
Stank 810nk B.DD &01) 8.60 8.00 S.
Without the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
0.00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
Timesheet
Payable Time
Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank
With the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Scenario #2: Employee reviews but does not submit
their Timesheet
Calendar WOO Mon Tue I Wed I Thu I Fri
Schedule
Timesheet
Payable Time
0.00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
8ionk 8la 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
With the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
6.00 A
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
4 SUBJECT: TIMESHEET REQUIREMENT CHANGES
r rn
rera
Scenario #3: Employee works an alternate schedule
Calendar Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 7FH
Schedule
Timesheet
Payable Time
0.00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
Blank Bkink 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 1 Skink
Without the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
66� 0.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 8.00
Scenario #4: Employee Terminates (late ePAR) and
Timekeeper doesn't catch it.
Calendar sat Sui
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
Schedule
Timesheet
Payable Time
0.00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
Blank I Blank Skink Blank Blank Blank Blank
Without the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
0.00 0.06 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
No. 20-10510
November 17, 2020
Page 4 of 4
Scenario #1 Employee works an alternate schedule
Calendar Sat Sun Man Flue Wed Thu Fr
Schedule 0.00 0.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00
Timesheet Blank Blank lOADF10010.00 10.00 Blank
Payable Time
With the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
0.00 1 0.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 0.00
Scenario #4: Employee Terminates (late ePAR) and
Timekeeper doesn't catch it.
Calendar kat
Sun Mai Tue Wed Thu Fri
Schedule
Timesheet
0.00
0.0o
8100
s,00
8.00
8,00
Payable Tlm,�
S.00
Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank
With the Reg -Zero Rule in Time & Labor
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0-001
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS