One of my favorite vendors at the CONEXPO / CONAGG show featured the job clock system by ExakTime.  They had a prime corner spot in one of the main exhibit halls and each representative greeted you with a smile from ear to ear.  When I returned from Las Vegas to the real world in Nashville, I was delighted to receive a follow-up email from ExakTime highlighting the following video.  Take a look: 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tXurOetzRfI

Although I will probably never need a portable time and attendance system for my 6 kids, I absolutely love this technology! The portable time clock featured above is RUGGED. The software has GPS capability for tracking the location of crews and employees.  Also, the time entries and other information can be imported into your document management and accounting software. Check out some of the sample reports, including employee time cards, executive summaries, location summaries, and cost codes.

So, the real question is: Why is this important?  Any participant on a federal or federally assisted construction project will want to know about the reporting requirements for the federal prevailing wage laws.  AGC has a great book called the Davis-Bacon Compliance Manual, covering all the issues you need to know, but here are a few guidelines :

  • You will need to track on-site versus off-site work.  Under the Davis-Bacon Act, prevailing wages are to be paid laborers who are "employed directly upon the site of the work."  There will be a factual and legal analysis about what constitutes the work site or "adjacent" property, but you will need a solution to help track the activities of your workers.
  • You will need to track overtime hours.  The Davis-Bacon Act requires overtime payment for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek.  Again, the time clock and attendance record-keeping will be important for defending wage violations or other payment claims.
  • You will need to track certified payroll.  This is the documentation that a contractor is required to complete on a weekly basis for submission to the owner.  The certified payroll form provided by the Department of Labor requires certain information, which can be exported from your time clock solution. 

What other systems have you used to track employee hours and locations?