AboutKirstine Johnson Expertise I can answer questions regarding how to effectively mentor, coach or counsel employees and managers, when you should terminate an employee or put them on a performance plan, discuss performance management reviews and what should be included in those reviews, how to improve communication amongst managers and employees and share effective "teambuilding" ideas. I have 11 1/2 years experience as a Human Resources Manager and truly enjoy working with all levels of employees and helping to resolve conflict, help all levels of employees embrace change in an organization or position employees and managers for promotions or pay increases within their company.
Experience I have 11 1/2 years of Human Resources Management experience in several different industries such as retail, financial services, insurance and legal. I have provided HR support for over 300 employees and also provided HR support to external clients with one of my previous law firms. I am an expert in the areas of hiring, recruiting, conflict resolution, change management, executive management and employee compensation, performance management evaluations and policy and procedure implementation. I have provided employee relations support to managers and employees, conducted complaint and compliance investigations, coached managers in employee conflict management and counseled employees toward problem resolution.
Organizations Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)and the
Lake Washington Human Resources Association
Education/Credentials Augustana College; B.A. in English and Journalism as well as several courses in Psychology.
Colorado State University; M.A. in Speech Communication.
Currently studying for the SPHR certification exam through SHRM
Question Our office is based in California. We have never kept track of employee breaks and lunches are only recorded sporadically. Is there some sort of disclaimer we could add to the employee timesheet (which they fill out) that acknowledges they have been allowed to take all breaks/lunches as per California law? I am trying to be proactive so that someone could not come back sometime in the future and say they did not get their breaks/lunches. It seems to me that I heard of something like this (the disclaimer) during a conference recently, however I cannot find the reference in my files.
I am so hoping you can help me! Thanks for your time.
Answer Hi Linda!
I am assuming you are referring to non-exempt employees as you don't have to track exempt employees' time? But good question, and I would actually make it mandatory for your employees to record their lunches on their timesheets. Regarding a disclaimer, you can definitely put this on the bottom of the timesheets but does your company have a policy manual? You should have a policy that says that your employees are entitled to an hour lunch and a 10 minute break in the morning and afternoon (for example). Your policy might also say that all employees are responsible to take their lunches and breaks accordingly and that your company encourages employees to take these breaks every day. Another sentence in the policy might say that your company will not be held responsible if the employee chooses not to take their lunches and breaks. If you don't have a policy, you just might draft something like this and have all employees (and every new hire) read it carefully, sign the bottom of the page and then put this in their personnel file.
I hope this is helpful... if you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks Linda and take good care!
Kirstine
