Sarah Ketter: Things you do not get answered by anyone else! sketter@seniorhelpers.com
Alex Ketter: Payroll Questions aketter@seniorhelpers.com
Jimmy Wilson: Day to Day concerns jwilson@seniorhelpers.com
Colin Roy: Client concerns/comments/questions croy@seniorhelpers.com
Ruth Post: Caregiver concerns/comments/questions rpost@seniorhelpers.com
Destiny Brown: Scheduling dbrown9@seniorhelpers.com
Anya Thompson: Schooling athompson@seniorhelpers.com
This is the form for requesting time off. Email the filled out form to Destiny (dbrown9@seniorhelpers.com)
Download FileThis is our payroll system.
If you need to update your personal information, tax information, or print pay stubs, you have full access to do all of these things. Those of us in the office cannot make these changes.
If you have any other questions please contact the Senior Helpers office at 360-742-5300 or sketter@seniorhelpers.com
This is our time punch and charting system.
Please be sure that if you are using your own vehicle for errands/etc during a shift that you document your mileage in your clock out process!
Used in case Wellsky isn't working so you can clock in and out
Pin is on the back of your badge
Free virtual or over the phone medical appointments for anyone living in your home. Please see the website here for more information: Link
Must work 35 or more hours per week as a normal schedule and the only cost to this service is whatever medication might be prescribed. Visits are FREE!!!
Holidays you get time and a half for:
| Holiday | Date |
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Here is the link for you to obtain your food handlers card: Link
Every other Friday is Payday, unless it's a holiday then it will be the following Monday.
Payroll cutoff is Sunday at midnight prior to payday.
Next Payday:
Breaks: Employees must be allowed a rest period of not less than 10 minutes for each 4 hours of working time; rest period is paid. Rest periods must be scheduled as near as possible to the midpoint of the work period. An employee cannot be required to work more than 3 hours without a rest period.
Note: The Washington Supreme Court has interpreted this provision to mean that employees may not work more than 3 hours without a paid 10-minute rest period. The court held that work performed by an employee during a missed rest period constitutes “hours worked” which could trigger straight-time unpaid wages claims for non-exempt employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per workweek, or overtime pay claims for employees scheduled to work at least 40 hours in a workweek. An employee scheduled to work 40 hours in a workweek who misses a required 10-minute paid rest period would be owed compensation for 40 hours and 10 minutes of work. Because the regulations require that an employee be paid not to work during a rest period, by working through the rest period an employee has provided the employer additional labor for which he or she must be compensated. Later, in a different case, the court held the phrase “on the employer’s time” requires piece workers be paid for a rest period – separate from the piece rate – at least the minimum wage or their regular rate, whichever is greater.
On Call: Per the state labor department, an employer can require an employee to remain on call during paid rest periods if the underlying purpose of the rest period is not compromised. Employees must be allowed to rest, eat a snack or drink a beverage, make personal telephone calls, attend to personal business, close their door to indicate they are taking a break, or make other personal choices concerning how they spend their time during the rest break. If this is met, no additional pay for the 10-minute break is required. If an employee is called to duty, then it transforms the on-call time to an intermittent rest period and the employee must receive the remainder of the 10-minute break during that 4-hour work period.
Wash. Admin. Code § 296-126-092; Wingert v. Yellow Freight Systems, Inc., 50 P.3d 256 (Wash. 2002); Washington State Nurses Association v. Sacred Heart Medical Center, 287 P.3d 516 (Wash. 2012); Demetrio v. Sakuma Bros. Farms, 355 P.3d 258 (Wash. 2015) (Agriculture regulations’ rest period requirement; applying principles from cases examining general rest period requirement); Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Admin. Policy ES.C.6.1(link is external) (rev. Dec. 1, 2017). But see Hill v. Garda CL Nw., Inc., 2017 Wash. App. LEXIS 733 (Mar. 27, 2017) (“[O]fficial policies [did] not promote opportunities for meaningful breaks. The Plaintiffs had to remain vigilant and were not free to conduct personal business. . . . [The] requirement of vigilance is much more involved than simply being on call. . . . [The] policies strongly restrict the Plaintiffs' ability to relax or take care of personal business during their breaks.”).
Meals: Employees must be allowed a meal period of at least 30 minutes which commences no less than 2 hours nor more than 5 hours from the beginning of the shift. An employee cannot be required to work more than 5 consecutive hours without a meal period. Per the state labor department, if the employee works sufficient hours to qualify for more than 1 meal period, the second meal period must be given within 5 hours from the end of the first meal period, and for each 5 hours worked thereafter. Employees working 3 or more hours longer than a “normal work day” must be allowed at least one 30-minute meal period prior to or during the overtime period. Per the state labor department a “normal work day” is the shift the employee is regularly scheduled to work. Per the state labor department, meal periods may be unpaid if an employee is completely relieved from duty and receives 30 minutes of uninterrupted meal time.
On Call: A Washington Court of Appeals held that, even when an employee is “on call” during an on-duty meal period, the on-duty responsibility must be limited to being “on call” – no active work can be performed and employees must be allowed to engage in personal activities during these breaks. The court also held that, when work demands prevent the employee from having any meal period whatsoever, the employer violates the meal break regulation even if all work time is paid. Note that the courts have not resolved what remedy is available for such a violation.
Wash. Rev. Code § 49.12.187; Wash. Admin. Code § 296-126-092; Frese v. Snohomish County, 120 P.3d 89 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005); Pellino v. Brink's, Inc., 267 P.3d 383 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011); Alvarez v. IBP, Inc., 339 F.3d 894 (9th Cir. 2003); White v. Salvation Army, 75 P.3d 990 (Wash. Ct. App. 2003) (“WAC 296-126-092 does not require an employer to schedule meal periods for its employees. . . . The employer cannot prevent an employee from taking a meal period, but there is no affirmative duty on the employer to schedule meal periods for a specific time. The lack of any scheduled meal period is not a violation of WAC 296-126-092(1).”); Brown v. Golden State Foods Corp., 2015 Wash. App. LEXIS 371 (Feb. 24, 2015) (quoting and citing White); Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Admin. Policy ES.C.6.1(link is external) (rev. Dec. 1, 2017). But see Hill v. Garda CL Nw., Inc., 2017 Wash. App. LEXIS 733 (Mar. 27, 2017) (“[O]fficial policies [did] not promote opportunities for meaningful breaks. The Plaintiffs had to remain vigilant and were not free to conduct personal business. . . . [The] requirement of vigilance is much more involved than simply being on call. . . . [The] policies strongly restrict the Plaintiffs' ability to relax or take care of personal business during their breaks.”).
Breaks / Meals
Provide v. Ensure: "Administrative Policy ES.C.6 makes clear that employers have a duty to provide meal periods and rest breaks and to ensure the breaks comply with the requirements of WAC 296-126-092." Pellino v. Brink's, Inc., 267 P.3d 383 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011) (emphasis added).
“[An] employer is not automatically liable if a meal break is missed because the employee may waive the meal break. . . . [A]n employee asserting a meal break violation . . . can establish [a] prima facie case by providing evidence that he or she did not receive a timely meal break. The burden then shifts to the employer to rebut this by showing that in fact no violation occurred or that a valid waiver exists.” Brady v. Autozone Stores, 2017 Wash. LEXIS 681 (June 29, 2017) (emphasis added).
Premium Pay: An employee that does not receive a compliant 10-minute paid rest period and/or 30-minute unpaid meal period must be paid for work performed and for the non-compliant rest and/or meal period. This is true for shortened, interrupted, and missed rest and meal periods.
Example: Employee is scheduled to work 8:00-4:30, with one 30-minute unpaid meal period and two 10-minute paid rest periods. Employee works through one rest period and the meal period. Employee must be paid as follows: 8 hours (hours worked during scheduled shift including paid rest periods) plus 10 minutes (missed rest period) plus 60 minutes (30 minutes worked during meal period and 30 minutes for missed meal period). All 9 hours and 10 minutes must be counted as hours worked for the purpose of calculating overtime.
*Rounding / Deducting / Averaging: "Employers cannot round, deduct, or average any time from a meal or rest period. Examples: 1) If the employee works four minutes into an unpaid 30-minute meal period, the employer must start the 30-minute meal period from the time the employee actually stops working; or 2) If an employee’s meal period is from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the employee does not start the meal period until 12:04, the employee does not have to return to work until 12:34 p.m."
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Admin. Policy ES.C.6.1(link is external) (rev. Dec. 1, 2017); Washington State Nurses Ass’n v. Sacred Heart Med. Ctr., 287 P.3d 516 (Wash. 2012) (Rest breaks); Pellino v. Brink's, Inc., 267 P.3d 383 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011) (Meal and rest breaks); *Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Admin. Policy ES.D.1 (rev. May 7, 2004).
Preemption
FAAAA: A state appellate court held the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) “does not preempt [meal and rest period] claims because, by obtaining a variance, [an employer] can comply with the meal and rest period rules without significantly impacting its operations.”
LMRA: A state appellate court held section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA) “does not preempt the Plaintiffs' claims because the Plaintiffs' rights are independent and non-negotiable, and we do not have to interpret the Plaintiffs' various collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) . . . to resolve the issue. . . . We hold that Washington does not allow most private employees to waive their right to a meal period through a CBA.”
Railroads (Rest Periods)*: A federal district court judge granted railroad defendant's motion for judgment on the pleadings, holding that Washington State's rest period requirement, as it related to railroad workers, was preempted by three federal laws: 1) Hours of Service Act (HSA); 2) Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA); and Adamson Act.
Hill v. Garda CL Nw., Inc., 2017 Wash. App. LEXIS 733 (Mar. 27, 2017); *Logan v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104375 (E.D. Wash. June 13, 2018).