Five rules for keeping shifts and overtime right

Factories, hospitals and shops run more than one shift. When each shift starts, ends and breaks at a different time, keeping count by hand gets hard.

1. Give every employee a shift

With each person's shift written down, late arrivals and early departures are counted against that shift.

2. Put holidays and weekly days off in first

Then nobody is counted absent on a day off.

3. Settle the grace period for lateness

A few minutes' grace, the same for everyone, saves arguments.

4. Say when overtime starts

Write down how many minutes after the shift ends overtime begins to count.

5. Read the daily report

Looking at late arrivals and absences every day, not at the month's end, catches a problem while it is still small.