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Employee Communication
Use mass text messaging to keep teams, locations, and even your entire company in the loop.
Learn MoreThere are a few things to consider when texting your hourly employees that are off-the-clock.
Texting, calling or emailing an employee outside of working hours may also result in the employee performing additional work above and beyond your “quick question.”
Even if you don’t ask an hourly employee to perform work, if they work it, you have to pay them. The DOL is very clear on this point. Avoid costly unapproved work with regular company policy reminders.
On-call pay can also come into play if you are requiring employees to stand by and wait for your instructions (e.g. they are waiting for you to text them).
The general rule of thumb is that, if your employee is not free to go about their daily personal business while they wait, then they are being “engaged to wait” vs “waiting to be engaged,” and you must pay them for all of that waiting time as if they are working.
Employee Attendance. Communication. Engagement. Productivity. Delivered Over Text. What more do you need?
Yes, there are rules and laws surrounding contacting your employees after hours. In general, you should avoid contacting your staff during the following:
Messaging hourly employees who are on their unpaid meal breaks could result in compensable time. In other words, if you contact them, you could have to pay them for their entire meal break. This is because employees must take their meal breaks completely free from work activities in order for the meal break to be unpaid.
Many studies make a solid business case for providing employees with frequent, uninterrupted time off work. Other research shows the negative impact that working while on vacation has on employee engagement. Even something as brief as an uninterrupted nap before starting a night shift has been shown to increase worker job performance and safety.
Finally, avoid texting or contacting employees who are on protected sick leave, family leave, or other types of job-protected leave with work-related questions, as this may be interpreted as illegally interfering with the employee’s right to take leave. Leverage the right text-based tools to communicate with employees to help keep your organization in compliance.
Note: Commentary from TeamSense should not be construed to be authoritative legal or public health guidance. Organizations should follow the latest guidance from relevant governmental and public health authorities and seek counsel from appropriate Legal, HR, and EHS professionals.
TeamSense empowers your team through engagement, keeps everyone in the loop with attendance, and saves you time (and dollar signs) while boosting productivity along the way.
Nope, you don’t have to have the latest tech to get it done. All you need is text.
Use mass text messaging to keep teams, locations, and even your entire company in the loop.
Learn MoreNeed help writing an attendance write-up? With our step-by-step guide and practical examples, you won't have any questions about what to include and how to format it. Plus, discover proactive tips to foster a company culture that inspires punctuality and regular attendance.
Productivity - it's a key component in every industry, but some may argue that it's THE center of everything when it comes to manufacturing. But what happens when you can't get employees in the door? Let's take a look!