Make-Up Time

What is make-up time?

Make-up time refers to a workplace arrangement where employees can compensate for hours they missed due to personal reasons by working additional hours at another time. This practice helps employees manage their work-life balance while ensuring employers don’t lose productivity. Make-up time policies are particularly relevant in jurisdictions like California, where specific regulations govern their application.

How does make-up time work?

Make-up time is especially useful for employees who need flexible schedules due to personal responsibilities or unforeseen circumstances. Here’s how it generally works:

1. Employee request: The employee must typically request make-up time in advance, explaining the reason for the missed time and when they plan to make it up.
2. Employer approval: The employer must approve the make-up time. This approval is usually based on business needs and the feasibility of the requested hours.
3. Scheduling: The employee and supervisor agree on a schedule to compensate for missed hours. There’s often a limit on how soon after the missed time the make-up hours must be completed, such as within the same pay period or within a week.
4. Working the hours: The employee works the agreed-upon additional hours to compensate for the missed time. This could involve starting work earlier, staying later, or working on a day off.
5. Tracking and compliance: HR departments or supervisors are responsible for tracking these hours to ensure compliance with the agreed schedule and legal requirements. Accurate tracking helps prevent disputes and ensures that employees are compensated correctly.

Make-up time vs. comp time

Make-up time and compensatory leave (comp time) are often confused, but they are distinct concepts. Here are the key differences:

Make-up time examples

Example 1: An employee needs to attend a medical appointment

• Request: The employee needs to leave work two hours early on Wednesday for a dentist appointment.
• Make-up arrangement: They propose working an extra hour on Thursday and Friday to make up for the lost time.
• Approval: The manager reviews and approves the request, ensuring it complies with company policy and labor laws.
• Implementation:
  • Wednesday: Leaves work at 3 PM instead of 5 PM.
  • Thursday: Works from 9 AM to 6 PM (instead of 9 AM to 5 PM).
  • Friday: Works from 9 AM to 6 PM (instead of 9 AM to 5 PM).

Example 2: An employee needs to attend a parent-teacher conference

• Request: The employee needs to leave work three hours early on Tuesday.
• Make-up arrangement: They propose to work 1.5 extra hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Approval: The supervisor approves the request.
• Implementation:
  • Tuesday: Leaves work at 2 PM instead of 5 PM.
  • Wednesday: Works from 8 AM to 5:30 PM (instead of 9 AM to 5 PM).
  • Thursday: Works from 8 AM to 5:30 PM (instead of 9 AM to 5 PM).

HR best practices when developing a make-up time policy

1. Understand local labor laws: Before drafting your make-up time policy, thoroughly understand the labor laws that apply in your region. This includes laws related to overtime, minimum wage, and hours worked.
2. Outline clear policy guidelines: Your policy should clearly define:
   • Eligibility: Specify which employees are eligible for make-up time. This can depend on their employment status (full-time, part-time, exempt, non-exempt).
   • Process: Outline the process for requesting make-up time, including how far in advance requests need to be made and who must approve them.
   • Limits: Set clear limits on how much time can be accrued and used within a given period.
3. Provide examples: In your policy documentation and communications, provide clear examples of acceptable reasons for requesting make-up time and illustrate the process with hypothetical scenarios. This can help employees better understand the policy and set proper expectations.
4. Incorporate flexibility and fairness: While it is important to maintain structure, the policy should also be flexible enough to accommodate various personal needs and circumstances. Ensure that the policy is applied fairly to all employees to promote equity and avoid perceptions of favoritism.
5. Support work-life balance: Use this policy as a tool to promote work-life balance. To further support employees’ wellbeing, you can also offer additional support resources, such as flexible work arrangements or employee assistance programs (EAPs).

HR tip

When implementing your make-up time policy, consider creating a digital system for submitting and tracking requests. This can streamline the process, make it easier for employees to request it, and help HR departments maintain accurate records. Digital tools can also facilitate better communication between employees and supervisors regarding the status of requests.

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