Effective December 1, 2021, Hartwick College changed payroll systems from Ellucian Colleague to Paycom, a comprehensive Payroll and HR application. The switch to Paycom aligns with our culture of investing in and supporting Hartwick employees, which includes providing our valued team members with the best technology and resources possible.

The Paycom Employee Self-Service portal is available online at www.paycom.com

Employees are paid by check or direct deposit on a semi-monthly schedule. Payroll checks are issued on the 7th and 22nd of each month. Direct deposit is available to any financial institution, and employees electing this option must provide their direct deposit information and authorization through the Paycom Employee Self-Service portal. Employees may view direct deposit information, pay stub, and other payroll-related information through the Paycom Employee Self-Service portal.

Employee electronic timecards are legal documents that must accurately reflect the hours worked each day. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure their timecards accurately reflect all hours worked. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to verify the information the employee has entered on the timecard, including the accuracy of the hours reported and the total hours worked. Leave time hours for paid holidays, breaks, vacation, personal, sick, bereavement, jury duty, and college closures also needs to be accurately reflected on the timecards. Timecards must be approved by the employee’s supervisor through the Paycom system by the indicated due date. Failure to submit a completed timecard by the indicated due date, and inaccurate time reporting may result in delay in payment and may be grounds for corrective action, including termination of employment.

Break, Meal, and Rest Periods

While the College does not have formal rest periods, each department is responsible for establishing its own work breaks, including rest and meal periods, based on departmental needs. Employees working a shift of more than six hours shall be allowed an unpaid, duty-free period in accordance with the following:

Employees who work a shift of more than six (6) hours, which extends over the noon day meal period (11:00 am to 2:00 pm), will be allowed an unpaid meal period within that time frame.

It is the College’s policy that meal breaks for full-time employees are unpaid and one hour in duration, and part-time employees who work six (6) hours are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid meal break. Any diversion must be pre-approved through Human Resources.

Employees who work a shift of more than six (6) hours starting before 11:00 am and continuing later than 7:00 pm shall be allowed an additional meal period of at least 20 minutes between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Employees who work a shift of more than six (6) hours that begins between the hours of 1:00 pm and 6:00 am shall be allowed an unpaid meal period during a reasonable time during the shift.

It is the employee’s responsibility to record the start and end time of their meal periods on their electronic timecards in Paycom. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring their staff is taking a full meal break during the appropriate time and does not perform work during their meal break. If an employee works during their meal break, the time must be reported as time worked on the timecard and not reported as the meal break.

One Employee Shift: In some instances, where only one person is on duty, it is customary for the employee to eat on the job without being relieved and for the employee to be paid for the time spend doing so. Employees in such positions will be asked to consent to this arrangement. In the event an employee wishes to withdraw her/his consent to this arrangement, they must provide their supervisor at least 72 hours advance written notice to ensure sufficient coverage can be secured.

Abuse of breaks and/or meal periods may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

Overtime

Though sometimes necessary, overtime work should be minimized and must be planned and authorized by supervisors in advance, except in the instance of an emergency or critical staffing need. Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay at the rate of 1.5 times the employee’s regular rate of pay for hours worked more than 40 hours in one workweek. At no time will compensatory time off be given in lieu of overtime pay.
Any hours worked between 35 and 40 hours per week will be paid at the employee’s regular rate. Where hours of work can be rescheduled, a supervisor may authorize a flexible schedule instead of additional hours for work between 35 and 40 hours, as long as it is done within the same workweek in which the extra hours were worked.

Payroll Deduction

Each payday the employee receives a paycheck/statement of earnings/pay stub. This document provides current and year-to-date earnings and withholdings. Statutory deductions are withholdings the College is required by law to make from an employee’s earnings. Statutory deductions include social security, Medicare, and federal, and state income taxes. Voluntary deductions are deductions the College has been authorized by the employee to make from their pay. This may include retirement, benefits premiums or deductions, flexible spending accounts, or gifts to the College and United Way.

In January of each year, all employees will receive a Wage and Tax Statement (W-2 Form) through the Paycom system. Using the Paycom Employee Self-Service portal, employees can elect to receive their W-2 form electronically or have a hard copy mailed to them. To change federal tax withholdings during the year, employees should complete a new W-4 form through the Paycom system. A separate New York State form, Form IT-2104, may also be completed for changing New York State withholding only.

State and federal authorities may cause a legal summons to be served at an employee’s work location to garnish the employee’s salary to satisfy payment of taxes, delinquencies from creditors, or child-support enforcement. The College shall make the appropriate deductions and arrange for payment to the garnishing agency until the garnishment is satisfied.

The College expense reimbursement policy allows payment for business-related expenses. The College qualifies as a not-for-profit entity under Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS guidelines and therefore must ensure expenses qualify as a business expense. Federal and private grants require specific payment and reimbursement terms. The IRS also has strict guidelines for employee reimbursement requirements that the College must follow.

General Guidelines:

Departments needing payments for honoraria or non-travel related reimbursement should complete a Check Request, attach supporting documentation (contract or original acceptable receipts/proof of payment), have the request approved by the appropriate vice president or department head, and submit it to the Accounts Payable department in Financial Services. The business office requires original signatures for auditing purposes. Please note you cannot approve reimbursement to yourself or your immediate family.

Departments or individuals needing travel advances should complete a Travel Advance Request two weeks prior to needing the funds, have the request approved by the appropriate vice president and submit it to Accounts Payable. Travel advance requests are not to be used as reimbursement requests and should not be used to fund purchases that could otherwise be paid directly by the College such as airline tickets or hotels. Within two weeks of completion of travel, a Travel Expense Voucher along with original receipts and any unused funds should be returned to the Cashier. If a balance is owed to the requestor the form and receipts should be returned to Accounts Payable. Refer to http://www.hartwick.edu/about-us/financial-services-risk-management/accounts-payable for the College’s travel policy outlining reimbursable and non-reimbursable expenses.

All other goods or services purchased for the College require a Purchase Order. Submit to Purchasing a Material Requisition Form with appropriate documentation.