DG Policy: Working Hours and Timesheets – Effective beginning April 6th, 2019

Working Hours and Timesheets

Working Hours

As a professional services firm, Dennis Group is sustained by the excellent work we perform each day for our clients. No project or day is alike at Dennis Group, and we gauge our performance on the quality of our work rather than the quantity of our hours. These characteristics make defining a typical day – let alone a uniform working hours policy – challenging.  The below Working Hours Policy was created with our commitment to unparalleled client services and a desire to achieve a healthy work-life balance as our guide.

As a rule of thumb, Dennis Group team members are expected to work a minimum of forty (40) hours per week. While in the office, team members are expected to work at least eight (8) hours between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM Monday – Friday with an hour for lunch. Team members may set their own work hours during this time after coordinating with their respective Team Lead and Project team leadership and with the understanding that (a) Dennis Group is a customer-centric business and (b) our official office hours are 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday – Friday.

Team members may also occasionally shift up to four (4) hours of time between days in a week to avoid using vacation time for personal time taken during working hours for circumstances such as an appointment, child care issue, or travel. To be clear, occasional time shifting does not mean you may shift time to leave at noon every Friday, but rather is intended to give you the flexibility to accommodate specific, non-reoccurring circumstances that come up from time to time.

Daily work hours for those working on project sites and working part-time or hourly may vary by assignment at the direction of site and/or discipline managers. Alternate work schedules may be considered on a case-by-case basis upon conditional approval of Team and Office leadership.  Hourly employees are required to obtain approval from their manager prior to working more than 40 hours in a given week. 

Timesheets

All Dennis Group team members must complete a timesheet each week. We use the timesheets for billing purposes and for managing workforce utilization. Timesheets must be accurate and working hours shall be recorded in line with the above Working Hours policy. All timesheets are subject to audit for accuracy and falsification of information may be grounds for disciplinary action.  

  • Forty (40) hours minimum must be recorded each week including time taken for vacation, illnesses and doctor’s visits, bereavement, jury duty, and paid holidays. Eight (8) hours should be recorded each Monday – Friday unless otherwise provided for below or in the Working Hours Policy. Part-time and hourly team members should only record hours worked.
  • Timesheets must be completed in Dennis Group’s time record system. Instructions here.
  • Our timesheet week closes each Friday. When selecting the week for which you are recording time, always choose the prior Saturday as your start date.
  • Timesheets for the prior week are due each Friday by 10pm EST/EDT.
  • Time may be recorded in partial hour increments, but the total number of hours by job per week must equal a whole number.
  • All hours worked should be recorded on your timesheet subject to any adjustments discussed within this document.
  • Keep accurate timesheet records. Timesheets need to stand up to scrutiny by Project Managers, Department Leads, and, most importantly, our Clients. Always ask yourself: Can I support and explain the hours billed to the Client or my Project Manager?
  • Billable hours should not be capped at a Project Manager’s request—if these were legitimately worked they need to be recorded. It is the Project Manager’s responsibility to obtain approval and notify Accounting of any adjustment to hours billed.
  • Larger projects may require cost codes in addition to the project number. Familiarize yourself with the projects that have phase codes or ask Accounting for assistance.

Travel time to and from a job site, client location, or Dennis Group office should be recorded to a job number if:

  • You travel during normal business hours on behalf of the client(s); or
  • You travel outside of normal business hours and perform work while in transit. 

Travel time from home to office should not be recorded.

The same general guidelines above apply to those working on project sites, but because field work assignments vary considerably, the following exceptions to the guidelines are permitted:

  • Recorded hours must total 40 hours per week but may be any five (5) days Sat-Fri if weekend coverage is needed.
  • Alternate schedules may be approved by Project Managers, e.g. a 10 on 4 off schedule. This schedule deviation must be noted in the memo section of the timesheet next to the work hours for the project for that week.

Non-Project and Overhead Timesheet Codes

Use these codes when not working with a project job number.

Non-Project Overhead Codes

D1000 Development of People
  All time spent on discipline and team member development including, not limited to discipline meetings, performance reviews, goal setting sessions, etc.
M1000 Marketing and Business Development
  Time spent pursuing client leads, preparing presentations, and otherwise contributing to Marketing and Business Development quarterly goals.
P1000 Proposals
  Time spent creating proposals for clients and bid events.
R1000 Recruiting
  All time spent recruiting individuals to join Dennis Group including, but not limited to, career fairs, interviews, resume review, etc.
T1000 Training
  Time spent learning and developing new skills relevant to your work at Dennis Group. (Record client specific skill development to the job.)
TS100 Trade show
  Time spent preparing for and attending trade shows.
V1000 Volunteering
  To encourage team members to give back to the community, we offer full-time, benefit eligible employees up to eight (8) hours of volunteer time that may be used during working hours over the course of a calendar year.

Office and Corporate Services Codes

Assign any time not defined above to your office or corporate services group code.

C1000 IT/Helpdesk
CA100 San Diego Overhead
GA100 Atlanta Overhead
HQ100 Headquarters/Corporate Overhead
MA100 Springfield Overhead
MI100 Battle Creek Overhead
ON100 Toronto/Canada Overhead
SP100 São Paulo/Brazil Overhead
TF100 Tech4Food Overhead
UT100 Salt Lake City Overhead

Code: CVMED

Use CVMED if you are unable to work (including remote work) because you:

  1. Are subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
  2. Are self-quarantining after experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms and/or following the advice of a health care professional;
  3. Are seeking a medical diagnosis related to COVID-19;
  4. Are caring for a family member subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2); or
  5. Are caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19.

Code: CV100

Use CV100 for all downtime caused by COVID-19 such as unexpected overhead time following a project cancelation or delay.  You are strongly encouraged to record time to training or other beneficial non-project codes before using CV100.  This code may also be used to record time spent researching COVID-related practices or procedures that cannot be allocated to a client.    

Code: VACA

  • Dennis Group offers an open vacation program. Please refer to the Open Vacation Policy on SharePoint for details.
  • You can check how much vacation time you have taken by running a report in the timesheet portal.
  • If you are still unsure of how many days you have taken, please contact People & Management for assistance.

Code: SICK

  • Use sick time in the event of an illness or to attend medical and dental appointments.
  • You may be asked to provide a doctor’s note verifying your medical appointment or need for accommodation.
  • As with any absence, at a minimum please notify your manager and/or office administrator if you will not be able to make it work. You should also update your schedule on SharePoint.
  • For general questions, details, and information about extended absences due to a medical condition, i.e. absences greater than seven (7) business days, please contact People & Management.
  • Permanent Hourly Employees:
    • Earn 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked;
    • Earn and use up to 48 hours per year; and
    • Begin earning sick time on your first day of work and gain eligibility to use sick time 90 days after your first day.

Code: FUNER

  • Our bereavement policy provides you with three (3) days of paid leave after the passing of an immediate family member.  We define immediate family as spouses or domestic partners, all first degree relatives (parents, siblings and children), grandparents, and grandchildren. In-laws of the same types are included, as well as adopted parents, adopted children, legal guardians, half- and step-relatives.  Please contact People & Management with any questions about this policy in general or specific situations. 

 

C1000 IT/Helpdesk
CA100 San Diego Overhead
D1000 Development of People
FUNER Bereavement Leave
GA100 Atlanta Overhead
HOLID Company Holidays
HQ100 Headquarters/Corporate Overhead
JURY Jury Duty
M1000 Marketing and Business Development
MA100 Springfield Overhead
MI100 Battle Creek Overhead
ON100 Toronto/Canada Overhead
P1000 Proposal
R1000 Recruitment 
SICK Sick/Medical
SP100 São Paulo/Brazil Overhead
T1000 Training
TF100 Tech4Food Overhead
TS100 Trade show
UT100 Salt Lake City Overhead
V1000 Volunteering
VACA Open Vacation Policy

The above represents a general guideline. Dennis Group reserves the right to make any and all necessary changes to comply with laws, regulations, or business needs. You will be notified of any material changes in this policy. Inquiries from Accounting will follow incomplete or improper timesheet submissions. Please contact Accounting and/or People & Management with questions about specific situations not addressed herein.