Logging hours to the nearest 15 minutes?

[Anonymous]

Hi - Does tracking work time by the quarter hour seem the fairest to both nanny and employer? We have a new part-time nanny housekeeper and I sensed she was a bit surprised when I suggested this yesterday, i.e. she worked until 5:46 so we had her put 5:45 as her finish time, rather than 6:00 (but if it had been 5:50 I would have expected her to put 6:00 ... ). I will talk to her again today, to make sure this makes sense to her, but I just wonder what opinions are here from others. I don't want to seem to be nickle and diming her, and will probably round up her weekly hours when we pay her to an hour or half hour, e.g. if it comes out at 1 hour 45 minutes we'll round up to two hours. I really don't want to be petty, but I really really want to be fair.

[Anonymous]

You need to directly discuss it with your helper. Only she can tell you if she feels nickled and dimed, and that's all that really matters, isn't it? Maybe all her previous employers always rounded up, so your method would seem chintzy, no?

[Anonymous]

I have it in my contract that hours will be rounded UP to the nearest quarter hour. So like your nanny, I expect 5:46 to be rounded to 6:00. This is so that my end time is respected as a hard limit. 1 minute late, becomes 5 minutes late, becomes 10 minutes late, and you're forgetting to even round. This is how it works in most hourly jobs. You round up always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have it in my contract that hours will be rounded UP to the nearest quarter hour. So like your nanny, I expect 5:46 to be rounded to 6:00. This is so that my end time is respected as a hard limit. 1 minute late, becomes 5 minutes late, becomes 10 minutes late, and you're forgetting to even round. This is how it works in most hourly jobs. You round up always.

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

Why?

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny and we also round to the nearest quarter hour. Sometimes I'm working a few mins later than what is logged but sometimes leaving a few minutes early. I think as long as it's going both ways it's no big deal. But definitely talk to your nanny about it because it sounds like she's not a fan of this method.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

Why?

Because I feel like it's the right thing to do. The next day I might wôrk until 5:40 and I would right down 5:45 even though I didn't technically work those 5 minutes. It's like by doing so it all even it's way out in the end. They aren't always paying me for work I dîdnt do and they aren't always not paying me for work I did do. I try to be as fair as possible to my employers and not take advantage.

[Anonymous]

When I was an hourly employee, there was a seven minute grace period before you were counted "late" and yes, hours worked were recorded by the quarter hour.

I think what you did was fine - going down by one minute -but if you had been at 5:50, I think you should round up in that case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

Why?

Because I feel like it's the right thing to do. The next day I might wôrk until 5:40 and I would right down 5:45 even though I didn't technically work those 5 minutes. It's like by doing so it all even it's way out in the end. They aren't always paying me for work I dîdnt do and they aren't always not paying me for work I did do. I try to be as fair as possible to my employers and not take advantage.

But you don't control when they let you off. They should of course pay until your end time, if they choose to let you go early, but in my opinion, they also need to pay if they keep you late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

Why?

Because I feel like it's the right thing to do. The next day I might wôrk until 5:40 and I would right down 5:45 even though I didn't technically work those 5 minutes. It's like by doing so it all even it's way out in the end. They aren't always paying me for work I dîdnt do and they aren't always not paying me for work I did do. I try to be as fair as possible to my employers and not take advantage.

How can anyone "take advantage" of a 15-20/hr wage? You're nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

Why?

Because I feel like it's the right thing to do. The next day I might wôrk until 5:40 and I would right down 5:45 even though I didn't technically work those 5 minutes. It's like by doing so it all even it's way out in the end. They aren't always paying me for work I dîdnt do and they aren't always not paying me for work I did do. I try to be as fair as possible to my employers and not take advantage.

But you don't control when they let you off. They should of course pay until your end time, if they choose to let you go early, but in my opinion, they also need to pay if they keep you late.

Not all nannies have an end time. I get off work when my boss gets home. It's not a set 7:00-5:30 job sometimes it's 4:46 or 8:12pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always do what you do op. If I get off at 5:49 I put 5:45

Why?

Because I feel like it's the right thing to do. The next day I might wôrk until 5:40 and I would right down 5:45 even though I didn't technically work those 5 minutes. It's like by doing so it all even it's way out in the end. They aren't always paying me for work I dîdnt do and they aren't always not paying me for work I did do. I try to be as fair as possible to my employers and not take advantage.

How can anyone "take advantage" of a 15-20/hr wage? You're nuts.

I make 10 per hr and if I always added up and my employers always gave me the extra 2.5 for the extra few minutes I work I would feel like I'm stealing and taking advantage of them even for the extra 2.50

[Anonymous]

I would never round up if I was a minute over. Sheer greediness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi - Does tracking work time by the quarter hour seem the fairest to both nanny and employer? We have a new part-time nanny housekeeper and I sensed she was a bit surprised when I suggested this yesterday, i.e. she worked until 5:46 so we had her put 5:45 as her finish time, rather than 6:00 (but if it had been 5:50 I would have expected her to put 6:00 ... ). I will talk to her again today, to make sure this makes sense to her, but I just wonder what opinions are here from others. I don't want to seem to be nickle and diming her, and will probably round up her weekly hours when we pay her to an hour or half hour, e.g. if it comes out at 1 hour 45 minutes we'll round up to two hours. I really don't want to be petty, but I really really want to be fair.

5:50 is closer to 5:45 than 6:00 hun