Time Tracking

Georgetown complies with applicable federal and state laws, including the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), as well as D.C.’s Minimum Wage Revision Act (“MWRA”) and the Wage Payment and Collection Law.

“Exempt” employees are exempt from the overtime requirements of the FLSA based on job duties and are typically paid a salary.  

“Non-exempt” are not exempted from the FLSA’s overtime requirements. These employees are entitled to overtime pay under the law and are typically paid on an hourly basis. Overtime is paid for all hours worked over 40 hours in one work week. Overtime pay equals one and one half times the employee’s regular rate of pay.

As of April 17, 2023, Georgetown University employed 1,148 non-exempt employees. 

All time spent performing work related job activities by non-exempt employees is designated as work time and must be recorded. This includes time spent booting up computers, answering calls or checking email (even if done at home), time spent training, and certain time spent traveling. It does not include time spent commuting to and from work, walking to or from the workstation, picking up lunch, or putting on a coat at the end of the day, etc.

All work time must be reported, even if it occurs on a non-work day (such as a holiday, the weekend, or other day of closure). In addition, non-work time should also be recorded. This includes paid time off, non-working holidays, sick leave or other leaves of absence.

All hourly employees must complete and submit accurate reports that detail all the time that they work.  For example, if on a particular workday an employee works from 9:03 a.m. to 6:05 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break, it should be reported that the employee worked for 8 hours and two minutes on that day and the lunch break should be identified.  Similarly, if the employee works from 9:03 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. (less a thirty-minute lunch break) on a different workday, the employee should report that s/he worked for 8 hours and 42 minutes and should identify the break time.  In short, employees should report all time worked to the minute.

Non-exempt employees are paid overtime (1.5 times the regular rate of pay) for any hours worked over 40 during a workweek.

Off-the-clock work is work an hourly employee performs for which he or she is not paid. Off-the-clock work is expressly prohibited by University policy, and it is not permitted under any circumstances.

Any employee who fails to complete required training may either fail to pass probation or be subject to progressive discipline in accordance with university policies and procedures.

You should contact your supervisor or your Human Resources Business Partner.

• (Add Littler training)
• The Human Resources Policy Manual contains policies that are relevant to managing hourly employees in the following sections:  Work Hours and Pay Practices, Time Away from Work, and Compensation
• You can also attend training on how to approve and manage work hours in the Georgetown Management System (GMS) GMS Fundamentals: TimeTracking in GMS and/or  reference Time Tracking job aids in the Manager Self Service section of the HR website.  
• Contact your HR Business Partners with your specific questions for guidance.

Employees are required by HR Policy #803 to obtain supervisor approval before working overtime.  If an employee does not obtain approval, they still must be paid for the time worked.  However, working overtime without supervisor approval is a violation of HR Policy and the employee may be disciplined for working overtime without obtaining prior approval.  If the work or project requires that an employee work additional hours, outside of the normal set schedule, you must either reallocate that work to other employees, to ensure that overtime is not worked, or you must approve the overtime that is worked.  For example, if an employee’s position requires that they come in on a weekend to perform job duties, that time must be recorded and paid.

If employees are permitted to work at home, they should report all time as time worked.  Similarly, they should report as time worked all time spent answering voicemails or emails on days when they are not at work.  If they are not permitted to work at home, they should still report any work time, but should be coached and/or disciplined if they are not permitted to work remotely.

Employees who are entitled to meal breaks do not need to be paid for these breaks so long as they are able to take 30 minutes or more of a break and are completely relieved of work duties.  If an employee is interrupted during his or her meal break or cannot take a meal break, they should report this time as time worked and should be paid for this time.

Some projects have communicated funding restrictions. The source of funding should not place any limitations upon the requirement that employees should, at all times, be reporting all hours worked and these hours should be paid. Employees should be seeking approval prior to working overtime, pursuant to University policy.  However, if you know that an employee is working outside of his or set established hours, or you know that the amount of work necessitates overtime, it is your responsibility to ensure that those hours are accurately reported and paid.  If you have questions regarding any of the projects you are supervising, please contact your Human Resources Business Partner.

You are responsible for reviewing time reports and ensuring that they are accurate. You should never direct or encourage any employee not to accurately or completely report all time worked. You also have a responsibility to report additional hours worked by employees, if you know that they have worked additional time and have not reported such time. If an employee raises questions regarding either the hours that they have worked or that they were not paid correctly, you should report such concerns to your Human Resources Business Partner.  

Any employee who fails to abide by timekeeping policies and procedures may be subject to progressive discipline in accordance with university policies and procedures.

Any employee who fails to complete required training may either fail to pass probation or be subject to progressive discipline in accordance with university policies and procedures.

You should contact your supervisor or your Human Resources Business Partner.