RPM | REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES MANUAL

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    Title:

    Time and Labor Reporting

    Publication date:

    4/11/2025

    Effective date:

    4/1/2025

    BRIEF

    Policy Summary

    This policy outlines the requirements for the accurate and timely reporting of effort (hours or days worked) and leave taken at Berkeley Lab using the Lab Employee Time Reporting System (LETS). Each employee must report their own time worked by project/activity or work order, as well as any type of leave taken. Each supervisor and/or designated work lead must review and approve the time reported by each of their employees.

    Who Should Read This Policy

    All Berkeley Lab employees.

    To Read the Full Policy, Go To:

    The POLICY tab on this wiki page

    Contact Information

    Senior Finance Manager, Disbursement Services
    Payroll Lead

    Title:

    Time and Labor Reporting

    Publication date:

    4/11/2025

    Effective date:

    4/1/2025

    POLICY

    A. Purpose

    This policy outlines the requirements for the accurate and timely reporting of effort using the Berkeley Lab Employee Time Reporting System (LETS).

    B. Persons Affected

    All Berkeley Lab employees.

    C. Exceptions

    None.

    D. Policy Statement

    1. Each employee must report their own time worked by the assigned project/activity or work order, as well as any paid or unpaid leave taken (i.e., time off). To ensure accurate project charging, time should be recorded as frequently as necessary, ideally on a daily basis.  Before the time sweep at the end of each pay period, employees are required to certify and attest to the accuracy of their time card before releasing it for review and approval. The employee's assigned supervisor and/or designated work lead is responsible for reviewing and approving the time and leave reported by each of their employees.
    2. Berkeley Lab requires accurate and timely reporting of hours worked and leave taken because it enables the Laboratory to:
      1. pay Lab employees correctly and in a timely manner;
      2. ensure leave accruals and leave balances are accurate;
      3. ensure labor costs are properly allocated to separately funded projects/activities; and
      4. monitor actual performance against funding limitations and budgetary goals.
    3. Core Requirements
      1. All employees must use LETS to record their time worked and all leave taken, regardless of whether the leave is paid or unpaid. Lab employees must use their LDAP credentials and MFA (MultiFactor Authentication) to access LETS for time entry. Refer to the LETS User training for more information.
      2. The following chart details the minimum reporting requirements by employee type: 

        Type of Employee Schedule Timecard Minimum Reporting Unit
        Exempt (including UC faculty) Full-time Monthly 1/2 day (4 hours or ½ day for leave taken)
        Exempt Part-time Monthly 1/4 hour
        Exempt (Engineering, EH&S and Facilities only) Full-time Monthly 1/4 hour (4 hours for leave taken)
        Non-exempt Full-time, part-time and variable Weekly 1/4 hour
    4. Non-Exempt Classifications
      1. Non-exempt classifications must record their time worked to the assigned project/activity or work order based on the day the work was performed. Consult with your supervisor and/or work lead to ensure you are charging the correct project/activity or work order.
      2. Leave taken must also be recorded on the specific day leave is taken.
    5. Exempt Classifications
      1.  While timecards are submitted on a monthly basis, employees are encouraged to enter time as work is performed. Entries should be made on a timely basis to ensure accurate time reporting.
      2. Exempt timecards specify the total number of days or hours for the month based on each employee’s standard hours. All time for the month must be accounted for in LETS.
      3. Total time worked by assigned project/activity or work order must be recorded. It is not necessary to report the specific days that work was performed on project/activities.  However, all leave time (paid or unpaid) must be reported on the specific day the leave was taken. For example, a full-time employee scheduled to work 40 hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday takes pre-scheduled vacation time starting at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. The employee will then record a half day (0.50) of vacation time or 4 hours with Thursday’s date on the timecard.
      4. If an exempt employee works more than their regularly scheduled work week based on their standard hours, the total number of hours or days worked must be proportionately distributed based on the effort done for each project/activity. For example, a full-time employee has to account for 176 hours or 22 days for the month on their LETS timecard. See the table below for an example of prorating time worked in excess of standard hours.


        Time Worked

        Hour/Days

        Proportion of Total Time Worked

        (Time Worked by Project Divided by Total Time Worked)

        Pro-rated Charge on Timecard*

        (Proportion of Time Worked x Total Hours or Days for the Month in LETS)

        Project A

        40 hours or 5 days 20%

        36 hours or 4 days

        Project B 80 hours or 10 days 40%

        70 hours or 9 days

        Project C 80 hours or 10 days 40% 70 hours or 9 days
        Total 200 hours or 25 days 100% 176 hours or 22 days

        *Round to the nearest hour or day

    6. Schedule and Time Changes
      1. A supervisor can modify an employee's schedule of days off, workdays, and hours per day within the specified work period to meet unusual job requirements.
      2. When clocks are changed to and from daylight savings time each year, actual hours worked should be reported. In the spring, when the time change results in a seven-hour owl shift, non-exempt employees will be scheduled for an extra hour of work or charged an hour of vacation to make an eight-hour shift. In the fall, when the time change results in a nine-hour owl shift, the additional hour (when worked) is reported as overtime.
    7. Certification and Approval of Time Reports
      1. All employees must certify the accuracy of their reported time, and must release their timecards prior to the scheduled time sweep.
      2. By certifying their time, an employee is confirming that the work performed for the period is charged to a work activity authorized by their supervisor or a designated work lead, and that the charges accurately reflect the time spent on each of the work activities recorded.
      3. Supervisors are responsible and accountable for reviewing and certifying the time reported by their assigned staff. They must review and approve all employees' time entries electronically prior to the scheduled time sweep. In the absence of the supervisor (approver), a designated backup approver may approve time. The backup approver must be the same level, or higher, as the employee's supervisor or work lead.
      4. Approvers for matrixed employees are expected to confirm the hours recorded by the employee with the matrixed work lead prior to approving the timecard.
      5. Compensatory time is prohibited at the Lab and must not be granted to an employee.
      6. In addition to supervisors, designated work leads are also responsible to review and certify time for employees assigned to them.
        1. Designated work leads must be exempt-level Berkeley Lab employees who regularly provide work direction to the person(s) for whom time is being approved. Designated work leads cannot be graduate student research assistants (GSRAs), contract workers, students, or affiliates.
        2. With the approval of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), a work lead will be assigned to the Lab Director. The work lead will be an exempt-level member of the Director's staff who is knowledgeable of the Director's schedule.
      7. Time certification by the employee, and corresponding approval by the supervisor and/or designated work lead, should be accomplished in LETS and must be done prior to the scheduled sweep.  However, if an employee misses the sweep, they need to go back to LETS  to certify and/or approve timecards after the sweep.
      8. Timecard corrections for closed or swept periods are completed through LETS or through a Labor Distribution System (LDRS) labor resource adjustment.
        1. LETS corrections that affect leave types (e.g., vacation, sick, jury duty, unpaid leave, etc.) will be processed by the Division timekeeper in LETS. Once completed, a correction timecard will be visible to the employee and their supervisor and must be certified and approved prior to the next available sweep.
        2. For LDRS labor adjustments that affect time worked on a project/activity to another project/activity, an e-mail alert will be automatically generated. This notification will be sent to the individual whose time was adjusted as well as to their manager, indicating the details of the adjustment. Should the individual or his/her supervisor not agree with the adjustment that was made, a response is required within five business days. Labor adjustments over the approval thresholds identified in the Resource Adjustment policy also require approval from a designated financial approver. 

    E. Roles and Responsibilities

    Managers, supervisors, and employees have the responsibility to adhere to the provisions of this policy.

    Role

    Responsibility

    Employee

    • Ensures that all time worked and leave time taken are recorded in LETS as frequently as necessary to ensure accuracy and certified by established due dates.
    • Ensures that time reported is recorded to a work project/activity or work order authorized by their supervisor and/or a designated work lead, and that the charges accurately reflect the time spent on each of the work activities recorded.
    • For non-exempt employees, obtains pre-approval from their supervisor for any overtime prior to work being done.
    • Ensures that any errors in time recording are corrected in a timely manner and certifies corrected timecards.
    • Ensures that any labor adjustments made on behalf of the employee are validated for accuracy.

    Supervisor/Work Lead

    • Establishes work schedules, including assigned projects/activities or work orders and expectations with staff.
    • Pre-approves overtime for non-exempt staff.
    • Certifies the employee has charged appropriate projects/activities and accounted for all leave time taken (paid and unpaid).
    • Consults with assigned work lead to ensure accuracy of time reported for matrixed employees.
    • Approves employee timecards by established due dates.
    • Ensures that any errors in employee time reporting are corrected on a timely basis and approves corrected timecards..
    Division Timekeeper
    • Processes LETS leave corrections for closed periods (i.e. periods that have been swept).
    • Processes late time entries for non-exempt employees for closed periods.
    • Point of contact for assigned staff for any timekeeping issues.

    Resource Analysts

    • Processes labor resource adjustments between projects and activities as appropriate per the Resource Adjustment Policy.
    • Coordinates with Division Timekeepers for leave corrections as needed.

    LBNL Payroll Office

    • Processes more complex labor/leave corrections.
    • Assists in inquiries related to LETS input/corrections.

    Human Resources

    • Ensure employee job record is updated timely in UCPath for status changes that affect employee timecards.

    F. Definitions/Acronyms

    Compensatory Time

    Also known as comp time is time off with pay in lieu of overtime pay for irregular or occasional overtime work. This practice is prohibited at the Lab.

    Exempt Employee

    An employee who is paid an established salary and does not receive overtime compensation or compensatory time off for hours worked over 40 in a work week.  Greater emphasis is placed on meeting the responsibilities assigned to the position than working a specified number of hours.

    Matrixed Employee

    An employee assigned to an outside division (host division) by their home division supervisor. A matrixed employee typically receives daily direction from the host division.

    Non-Exempt Employee

    An employee who is paid an established hourly rate and is eligible for overtime compensation in accordance with FLSA rules. Refer to collective bargaining agreements for represented employees.

    Work Lead

    Designated work leads must be exempt-level Berkeley Lab employees who regularly provide work direction to the person(s) for whom time is being approved. Designated work leads cannot be graduate student research assistants (GSRAs), contract workers, students, or affiliates.

    Sweep

    A scheduled process in which the system collects all time records for a given period and officially closes that period in accordance with the established sweep calendar.

    G. Recordkeeping Requirements

    None

    H. Implementing Documents

    Document number

    Title

    Type

    11.05.001.001

    LETS Training & Resources

    LETS Help Page

    N/A

    Time Reporting Training 

    Training 

    N/A

    Timekeeping Toolbox

    Resources

    I. Contact Information

    Senior Finance Manager, Disbursement Services
    Payroll Lead

    J. Revision History

    Date

    Revision

    By Whom

    Revision Description

    Section(s) Affected

    Change Type

    1/2/2012

    1

    M. Mock

    Reformat for wiki

    All

    Minor

    11/30/2013

    1.1

    M. Hutchins

    Reviewed 11/12/13. No changes

    Publication, next review date

    Minor

    3/25/2016

    2

    M. Hutchins

    Remove GSRA exception and include assigned work lead for Lab Director.

    D.5 Certification of time reports

    Major

    10/19/2020

    2.1

    M. Hutchins

    Minor clarifications; Periodic Review

    D

    Minor

    12/18/2020
    D. Soustin Updated Contract 31 I clause numbers as per mod 1105 Source Requirement Documents Editorial
    2/28/2023 2.2 M. Hutchins Periodic review: clarifications of existing policy and link fixes All Minor
    6/16/2023 2.3 M. Hutchins Editorial changes to R&Rs R&Rs Editorial 
    4/11/2025 2.4 M. Hutchins Clarifications around frequency of time reporting, certifications and time corrections All Minor

    DOCUMENT INFORMATION

    Title:

    Time and Labor Reporting

    Document number

    11.05.001.000

    Revision number

    2.4

    Publication date:

    4/11/2025

    Effective date:

    4/1/2025

    Next review date:

    2/28/2026

    Policy Area:

    Payroll

    RPM Section (home)

    Financial Management

    RPM Section (cross-reference)

    Section 11.05

    Functional Division

    OCFO

    Prior reference information (optional)

    RPM, Chapter 11, Section 11.05

    Source Requirements Documents

    • Federal Appropriation Law
    • Contract 31, Clause I.040, FAR 52.222-4, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards - Overtime Compensation (MAY 2018) (prev. I.021)

    Implementing Documents

    Document number

    Title

    Type

    11.05.001.001

    LETS Training & Resources

    LETS Help Page

    N/A

    Time Reporting Training 

    Training 

    N/A

    Timekeeping Toolbox

    Resources



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