These definitions are for general understanding and aren't legal advice. Where a term has a legal meaning, it can differ by state.
Scheduling
Availability
The days and times someone says they can work. It helps you avoid scheduling people when they can't come in. Availability isn't necessarily a promise from you, unless your policy or local law says so.
Call-out
When an employee tells you they can't make a scheduled shift. Different from a no-call, no-show, where they don't tell you at all.
Clopening
Closing late at night and opening early the next morning, with little rest between the shifts. Some cities restrict it. Read more.
Fair workweek law
Another name for a predictive scheduling law.
Labor cost percentage
The share of sales that goes to paying people. Labor cost divided by sales, times 100. Calculate yours.
No-call, no-show
Missing a scheduled shift without telling anyone. How to write a fair policy.
On-call shift
A shift where someone has to be available but might not be asked to work. Some local laws restrict it or require pay.
Open shift
A shift with nobody assigned, which eligible staff can claim.
Predictive scheduling
Laws that require advance notice of schedules, often two weeks, and sometimes extra pay for late changes. See where they apply.
Reporting-time pay
A minimum payment owed in some states when someone shows up for a shift and gets sent home early.
Sales per labor hour
Total sales divided by total hours worked. It's a handy target because it doesn't change when wages do.
Shift swap
When two employees trade shifts, usually with a manager's approval. Sample policy.
Split shift
Two work periods in one day with an unpaid gap between them, such as lunch and dinner. Some states add a premium.
Time clock
Auto clock-out
A rule that ends a punch automatically after a set number of hours, so a forgotten clock-out doesn't become a huge shift.
Buddy punching
Clocking in or out for someone else. How to stop it.
Geofence
A virtual circle around a location on a map. A phone inside it can be treated as being at work. What to tell your team.
Kiosk
A shared device, usually a tablet, where people clock in with a PIN. How it works.
Punch
A single clock-in or clock-out record.
Rounding
Recording punch times to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes. It's allowed under federal rules only if it doesn't underpay people over time. Read more.
Time theft
When someone gets paid for time they didn't work. Buddy punching is one common form.
Pay and law
Comp time
Time off given in place of overtime pay. Generally not allowed for private employers under federal law.
Exempt employee
Someone not entitled to overtime, because they meet salary and duties tests. Being on salary alone doesn't make someone exempt.
FLSA
The Fair Labor Standards Act, the main federal law on minimum wage, overtime, recordkeeping and child labor.
Gross pay
What someone earned before taxes and other deductions.
I-9
The federal form used to verify that a new hire can work in the US. Employers review documents within 3 business days of the first day of work.
Non-exempt employee
Someone entitled to at least the minimum wage and overtime under the FLSA. Most hourly workers fall into this group.
Overtime
Under federal law, hours over 40 in a workweek, paid at at least one and a half times the regular rate. Some states also have daily overtime. Calculator.
Pay period
The stretch of time a paycheck covers. It's separate from the workweek, and overtime still gets worked out by the workweek.
PTO accrual
How paid time off builds up over time, such as a set amount per pay period. Calculator.
Regular rate
The hourly figure overtime is based on. It can be higher than someone's hourly wage, since it can include things like non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials.
Tip credit
A rule that lets some employers count tips toward part of the minimum wage for tipped employees, under certain conditions. Some states don't allow it.
W-4
The federal form a new employee fills in so that you know how much tax to withhold.
Workweek
A fixed, repeating period of 168 hours (seven days in a row) that you choose. Federal overtime is worked out one workweek at a time.
Managing people
eNPS
Employee Net Promoter Score. It comes from asking how likely someone is to recommend working for you, on a scale of 0 to 10.
Key holder
An employee trusted with keys or alarm codes, who can open or close a location.
Onboarding
Everything that happens to help a new hire get started, from paperwork to their first few weeks. Checklist.
Pulse survey
A short, frequent survey, often anonymous, that checks how your team's doing.
Turnover rate
The number of people who left in a period, divided by your average headcount, times 100. How to bring it down.