[RKDinOKC]

Yep, most all employers expect hourly workers that don't actually punch a time clock to be at their station working at the start time, and back at it at the exact time after breaks and lunch also, AND not leave those positions until their exact stop time. The clock punchers where I work are expected to clock in BEFORE start time and take over their station long enough before the start time to exchange information about the job with the previous shift worker and take over the position at exactly the start time so the previous shift worker can leave. Most of those workers punch the clock when they walk in the door, and punch out as they walk out. And it is perfectly legal to demand mandatory overtime of up to 5 hours per week.

A friend of mine works for a university. He punches a clock. He is reprimanded if the punched time is less than 8 hours, and if it is over 8 he has to write on the time slip that he only worked 8 hours so they do not pay for any overtime the time clock shows, not legal.

Salary workers are expected to work 45 hours a week minimum and if the production workers work overtime, the salaried managers are expected to be there before and after their non-salaried workers and do not get paid for any overtime like the non-salaried workers. There have been many times when non-salaried workers were taking home more money than their salaried manager whom had to stay as long as they did. There was also a time when the companies sales ere going nuts that salaried workers could work their regular shift and job then go clock in and do production work in the shop for overtime pay.

The real stickler is when there is a holiday because employers do not have to pay overtime unless the worker puts in more than 40 hours total for the week and holidays do not count for that 40 hours.

I do know in the last few years the management practices that have been going around do more to harm moral, productivity, and loyalty than it does to make the company money. An employee quit after 25 years where I work because he was asked to write an essay on why he wasn't allowed to talk on his cell phone while working because he was caught talking on his cell phone. The job he was doing was unloading and loading a machine that has a 20 minute cycle time. That means he just sits next to the machine for 20 minutes at a time.