Ideas That Work: Lower Your Payroll

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Your Time Clock May Be Costing You Thousands


clocking out PUNCH OUT Do you pay staff for the time it takes for them to change in and out of scrubs?

Lower Your Payroll
Your Time Clock May Be Costing You Thousands

Want a quick way to reduce your payroll expenses? Staff can't clock in until after they've changed their clothes in the morning and they must clock out before they've changed their clothes at day's end. While the amount of time it takes for staff to change in and out of their scrubs may seem nominal, adding just 15 minutes per day for a nurse can mean an extra 60 hours per year of paid time per nurse at overtime rates. At my 20-employee facility, this change alone has saved us nearly $70,000 per year.

Lisa Waters, RN
Columbia (S.C.) Eye Surgery Center
[email protected]

Editor's note: A growing number of lawsuits are aimed at requiring employers to pay employees such as nurses and other surgical staff starting from the time they commence getting changed into their required work clothes. If employees are required to change into scrubs on your premises, some legal analysts say that paying them to do so will significantly reduce the risk of future collective action litigation.

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