Wage and hour claims made easier, thanks to an iPhone app

The U.S. Department of Labor has created apps to allow non-exempt employees to record their time on their iPhones and iPads.

For more on this app and how it may impact companies with hourly employees, read on past the jump.

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What will the app do?

According to the DOL:

This is a timesheet to record the hours that you work and calculate the amount you may be owed by your employer. It also includes overtime pay calculations at a rate of one and one-half times (1.5) the regular rate of pay for all hours you work over 40 in a workweek.

This DOL-Timesheet does not handle items such as tips, commissions, bonuses, deductions, holiday pay, pay for weekends, shift differentials, or pay for regular days of rest.

The app even informs workers about their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act and instructs them how to file a wage violation complaint.

Holy FLSA!

If you don’t have an effective time-tracking system in place, this is your wakeup call. Otherwise, Exhibit A, may be an employee’s iPhone.

For more on this app, check out the DOL’s press release. As for how this app may affect employers, click the following links for articles from management-side employment counsel:

“FLSA Compliance: There’s an app for that” by Molly DiBianca at The Delaware Employment Law Blog.

“New US DOL Smartphone App Encourages Employees To Track Hours and Pay” by Bill Pokorny at Franczek Radelet

“Now an iPhone App for Wage and Hour Litigation” by Michael Fox at Jottings By An Employer’s Lawyer

“Your location is not the only thing an iPhone might be tracking–DOL releases wage and hour app for employees” by Jon Hyman at Ohio Employer’s Law Blog

“Employers Beware – DOL Unveils Smartphone Timekeeper App” by Rob Stalter at Employer Law Report

“There’s An App For That! The Bright Side of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Launch of iPhone App to Track Wages” by Jennifer Gokenbach at Colorado Employer’s Law Blog

What I want to know is whether non-exempt employees get paid for the time spent downloading the app.