Time Tracking & Accountability
Owner: Director of Finance & Operations (DFO) – with input from all Directors Audience: All OWL staff
1. Purpose and Relationship to the Productive Playbook
OWL is committed to transparent, accurate, and auditable timekeeping. Accurate records help us:
Comply with labor laws and funder requirements
Protect our financial integrity
Make smart decisions about staffing, workload, and pricing
This document sets the administrative and compliance expectations for time tracking at OWL (who tracks time, when, and how records are certified). It is intentionally tool-light and focused on policy.
The day-to-day “how” of timekeeping in Productive - direct vs. overhead work, container tasks, “no shadow work,” travel and prep norms, etc. - lives in The OWL Productive Playbook (Found on GitBook - Section 2.3 Time Tracking and related sections). This SOP and the Playbook work together:
This SOP = legal, HR, and accountability expectations
Productive Playbook = practical habits and patterns for logging time in Productive
When the two seem to overlap, default to this SOP for compliance and the Playbook for workflow details, or raise a question so we can adjust one or both as needed.
2. Who Must Track Time (and When)
All employees - exempt and non-exempt - are responsible for accurately recording time worked whenever they are:
Performing services that will be billed to a client
Working on projects funded by a grant, government award, or restricted donation
Participating in an internal strategic initiative for which time data has been requested to inform planning or funder reporting
Note: Time tracking at OWL is not about micromanaging hours. It is about being a trustworthy steward of resources and ensuring our work and budgets reflect reality.
3. Timekeeping Platform & Frequency
OWL's official timekeeping platform is Productive. All time covered by this SOP must ultimately be recorded in Productive so it connects correctly to projects and budgets.
Employees must:
Allocate time to specific clients, contracts, grants, or internal projects when applicable
Record time after the fact, based on actual work (not budgeted estimates)
Keep up with entries often enough that they're accurate (see Playbook Section 2.3.3–2.3.5 for daily vs. weekly patterns)
Finalize and certify their time records by the 15th of the following month for payroll and reporting.
If Productive is temporarily unavailable, the DFO may approve a short-term alternative (e.g., spreadsheet or form). Those records must still be entered into Productive as soon as practicable.
For expectations about:
Direct vs. org-wide/overhead time
Container tasks (e.g., “Admin & Microtasks – [Name]”)
Travel, prep, and planning caps
“No shadow work”
see Productive Playbook, Section 1.5–1.6 and 2.3.
4. Exempt Employee Requirements
Exempt employees (full-time salaried staff not eligible for overtime) are not required to track every hour worked, but must track time in these situations:
Billable Client Work: Time must be tracked for client-facing engagements where billing or reporting is required.
Work Funded by Restricted Sources: For grants, donations, or awards with reporting obligations, time must be logged to show how restricted funds are used (in line with the Productive budget and grant rules).
Strategic Internal Projects: For selected internal initiatives (e.g., funded pilots, prototypes, or time-bound organizational projects), OWL leadership may require time tracking for learning and planning. These requests will be clearly communicated in advance.
Time not covered above may be logged under appropriate internal/overhead projects (Finance & Ops, Strategy & Learning, Development, etc.) using the container-task patterns in the Productive Playbook. Exempt staff are not expected to reconstruct a full 40-hour week unless specifically required for a grant or audit.
5. Non-Exempt Employee Requirements
Non-exempt employees (hourly employees eligible for overtime) must comply with all federal and state wage-and-hour requirements, including:
Accurately recording start and end times for each workday
Tracking meal periods, rest breaks, and any personal time away
Ensuring that total time aligns with their assigned schedule and legal requirements
All overtime (time worked over 40 hours per week) must:
Be pre-approved by a Director or the OWL Leadership Team
Be recorded accurately in Productive for payroll processing and compliance
Non-exempt employees must never work “off the clock,” including answering emails or doing project work outside logged hours, unless explicitly approved and recorded.
6. Rest Breaks
OWL follows this rest break standard for non-exempt employees:
One paid 15-minute break for every 4 hours (or major fraction) worked
Breaks should be taken near the midpoint of a work period where possible
Rest breaks cannot be banked to shorten the workday or extend meal periods
Break schedule
3.5–6 hours
1 break
>6–10 hours
2 breaks
>10–14 hours
3 breaks
All rest breaks must be recorded according to the timekeeping instructions provided during onboarding and any state-specific requirements communicated by the DFO or HR.
7. Meal Periods
Meal periods for non-exempt employees are governed by these rules:
An unpaid 30-minute meal period is required for any shift longer than 5 hours
A second 30-minute meal period is required if working more than 10 hours, unless waived in writing (only if the first was taken)
Meal breaks must begin no later than the end of the fifth hour of work
Employees must be fully relieved of duty during meal periods
Working during a meal period without recording the time is considered working “off the clock” and is not permitted.
8. Lactation Breaks
OWL provides reasonable paid break time and a private space for nursing employees to express milk. Additional accommodations can be arranged by contacting a Director or the Director of Finance & Operations.
9. Time Submission, Review & Certification
To ensure payroll accuracy and compliance:
All time records must be submitted and certified by the employee no later than the 15th of the following month
The Director of Finance and Operations reviews submissions prior to payroll processing
In the case of errors or omissions, employees must promptly notify the Director of Finance and Operations or their Manager so corrections can be made
Directors/Managers are responsible for spot-checking that time tracked in Productive aligns broadly with known scopes of work and staffing patterns (as described in the Productive Playbook's budget and time sections).
10. Time Tracking: Do's & Don'ts (Policy Lens)
These norms reinforce our expectations from both this SOP and the Productive Playbook.
Do:
Track time accurately and honestly, based on actual hours worked - not budget projections or what “should have happened”
Log time in Productive consistently and certify it by the monthly deadline
Categorize time correctly, especially when tied to a client, grant, or restricted fund
For non-exempt employees, record start/end times and breaks accurately
Update your time regularly (daily or weekly, per your role and the Playbook), so entries are still grounded in reality
Ask your Director or the DFO if you are unsure how to code time or need a correction
Report any concern about pressure to skip breaks, work off the clock, or misreport time
Don't:
Round or adjust time just to match a target budget
Log time you didn't work, or leave overtime off the record
Wait so long to enter time that it can't be reasonably verified
Submit another employee's time record (even as a favor)
Bank break time to leave early or extend lunch
Work “off the clock,” especially during meal periods or after hours, without prior approval and proper documentation
11. Alignment Check: When in Doubt
If you ever see a tension between this SOP (HR/compliance) and the Productive Playbook (workflow and patterns), bring it to the DFO or your Director. We want one coherent system: clear rules about timekeeping, and a practical, humane way of living them inside Productive.
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