UM SRH Kronos Upgrade Goes into Effect with October 30 – November 12 Pay Period

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The Kronos Upgrade for UM Shore Regional Health employees goes into effect as of the 23rd pay period (October 30-November 12, 2016). UM SRH managers are presently undergoing timekeeping training via HealthStream in preparation for this upgrade, which has two significant impacts:

  • Exempt (salaried) will have to mark PRESENT every day that they work (although they will not clock in and out); and
  • Non-exempt (hourly) employees will record whether or not they received a full, 30-minute meal break.

Please read the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you are unclear about how this upgrade affects your timekeeping, talk to your manager/timekeeper.

1.   What is the goal of the Kronos Upgrade?

The goal is to consolidate the Kronos systems for Shore Regional Health by moving all of the Kronos systems onto a unified IT platform. This will begin the process of consolidating Kronos for all UMMS facilities.
With the Kronos upgrade, the Meal Attestation Tool (ATK) will be added. This will allow non-exempt employees to electronically attest whether or not they received their full meal period each day at the Kronos clock.
In addition, exempt (salaried) employees will now have to ability to timestamp (via computer).

2.    Does this change impact exempt (salaried) employees?

Yes. As of now, SRH exempt (salaried) team members do not interact with the KRONOS system.  To bring SRH in line with other UMMS facilities, all exempt (salaried) team members will be required to mark present once each day.
     All exempt (salaried) team members will have access to KRONOS via their computer desktops and will not be required to badge swipe using a time clock; however, should an exempt (salaried) team member wish to swipe at the clock, this is also available.
Please know that exempt (salaried) team member hours will NOT be tracked hourly.  Marking present is designed to ensure that PAL and other activities are captured promptly and accurately. 

3.  What is the new badge swiping process for hourly non-exempt employees?

  • At the start of each shift, all employees will press the CLOCK IN soft key button on the clock and then swipe their badge to record time.
  • At the end of each shift, all employees will press the CLOCK OUT soft key button on the clock and then swipe their badge.

The Meal Break question will display on the screen for non-exempt (hourly) employees who worked at least six consecutive hours and the non-exempt employee (hourly) must:

  • Non-exempt employees will press the YES soft key button if they received the full meal break
  • Non-exempt employees will press the NO soft key button if they did not receive the full meal break

4.   What is a meal break?

A meal break is an uninterrupted 30-minute break during which a non-exempt (hourly) employee is completely relieved of all duties. Uninterrupted meal breaks are considered to be the employee’s time and are unpaid.

5.   Why do we need to ask if a non-exempt (hourly) employee has taken a meal break?

The ATK feature allows for better compliance with federal and state laws regarding the proper payment of wages. This new process will minimize the administrative burden on editing Kronos records to remove the meal break.

6. What is the exact meal break question that non-exempt (hourly) employees will be asked?

“Did you get your full meal break on your shift today?”

7.  How many hours must a non-exempt (hourly) employee work to receive the ATK question?

Non-exempt employees will be prompted to answer whether or not a meal break was taken after working six consecutive hours or more on the time clock. If the employee works less than six consecutive hours, the employee will not receive an automatic meal break deduction so the meal break question will not be asked.

8. What if the non-exempt (hourly) employee works at least six consecutive hours and no meal break is taken?

If the non-exempt employee works at least six consecutive hours and does not receive the meal break, the employee will be paid for the entire shift. When the non-exempt employee is asked the meal break question at the end of the shift, her or she must answer NO.  

9.  What if the non-exempt (hourly) employee works at least six consecutive hours and a meal break is taken?

If the non-exempt employee works at least six consecutive hours and does receive the meal break, the employee will have a meal break deduction. When the non-exempt employee is asked the meal break question at the end of the shift, he or she must answer YES.

10.  What if the non-exempt (hourly) employee works less than six consecutive hours and no meal break is taken?

If the employee works less than six consecutive hours, the employee will not receive an automatic meal break deduction so the meal break question will not be asked.

11. What if the non-exempt (hourly) employee works less than six consecutive hours and a meal break is taken?

If the employee works less than six consecutive hours, the employee will need to clock out at the start of his or her break and clock back in upon  return. The 30-minute automatic meal break will not be removed from his or her schedule.

12.   What happens if the non-exempt (hourly) employee does not answer the meal break question when prompted?

If an employee fails to answer the meal break question when prompted, the clock out swipe will not be recorded and the employee will need to complete a Kronos Exception Form. The clock out time will need to be manually entered in Kronos by the timekeeper.

13.  How will a manager know if the employee does not take a meal break?

Managers will receive email notification when an employee indicates he or she did not receive a full meal break.

14. Will a Kronos Exception Form need to be completed for missed swipes or meal break corrections?

Yes, if an employee fails to answer the meal break question or fails to swipe in or out, he or she will need to complete a Kronos Exception Form.

15.  Should a timekeeper edit an employee’s swipes or meal break responses without a Kronos Exception Form?

No, any corrections and edits made to a Kronos record must be authorized by the employee using the Kronos Exception Form.

16.   Can an employee clock in/clock out at any Kronos clock?

Yes, however departmental procedure may require employees to continue to clock in/clock out at the Kronos clock they are currently assigned to.