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BRIEF

Policy Summary

This policy outlines the requirements for the accurate and timely reporting of effort 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 and any type of leave taken. Each supervisor must review and approve 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

Disbursements Services Manager
Payroll Lead

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). Prior to the time sweep at the end of each period, each employee is required to certify and attest to the accuracy of their time card before releasing it for review and approval. The employee's assigned supervisor or work lead must review and approve time reported by each of their employees.
2. Accurate and timely reporting is required and enables the Laboratory to:
   1. pay Lab employees correctly and in a timely manner;
   2. ensure leave accruals and leave balancesare 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. Employees must use LETS to record their time worked and all leave taken, regardless of whether leave is paid or unpaid. Lab employees must use their LDAP credentials 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:

1. 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.
   2. Leave taken must also be recorded on the specific day leave is taken.
2. Exempt Classifications: 
   1. 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.
   2. 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 half a day (0.50) of vacation time or 4 hours with Thursday’s date on the timecard.

   3. 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  Hours/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 nearest hour or day

3. 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.
4. Certification and Approval of Time Reports 
   1. All employees must certify the accuracy of their time reported and 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 an authorized work activity approved by their supervisor or  a designated work lead. 
   3. Supervisors are responsible and accountable for reviewing and certifying the time reported by their assigned staff. They must 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 above, 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, supervisor, or designated work lead should be electronic with the use of the employee’s LDAP user ID and password to access LETS. When it is not possible to capture approvals electronically, the actual signatures should be recorded on time cards produced from LETS as provided by the division timekeeper
   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 still 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.

F. Definitions/Acronyms

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

None

H. Implementing Documents

I. Contact Information

Disbursements Services Manager
Payroll Lead

J. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

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