The main things to remember about keeping track of hours worked are the following:
employees must be paid for all time that they are at the disposal of an employer;
employees do not have to be paid for time they can use effectively for their own purposes;
if employees work too much time, or work without authorization, they still have to be paid for the time, but the employer can handle it as a performance or disciplinary matter.
Employers may also receive help on these issues by calling the legal staff at the toll-free number for the TWC Employer Commissioner's office: 1-800-832-9394. Finally, the World Wide Web site for the U.S. Department of Labor offers the full text of the FLSA and the accompanying regulations at http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/.