You may be familiar with the old saying, “spring ahead and fall back” to remember which way to move your clocks during the switch to daylight saving time and standard time. Daylight saving time (DST) begins each year on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m. (local time). Clocks must be moved ahead one hour when DST goes into effect. The changeover back to standard time (ST) occurs on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. (local time). Clocks must be moved back one hour. This year DST ends in most of the United States at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 6.
Most of the United States follows daylight saving time, but a few regions do not. It is observed by most to make better use of the daylight during the summer evenings. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe DST. In Arizona, the Navajo Indian territories do observe DST. Historically, local jurisdictions were allowed to decide when they would locally switch to DST, or not to observe DST at all. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 defined the rules for the dates of DST and all regions that practice DST use the same transition days. However, that same bill allows states to legislatively decide whether to practice it or not. Also, the date rules sometimes change, most recently in 1986 and 2007, extending the length of DST. The United States Department of Transportation oversees and regulates DST.
How does the switch to ST affect employers? If you have employees who work on Sundays, it is a best practice to remind these employees about turning their clocks back an hour back to make certain that these employees report to work on time. Non-exempt employees may report to work earlier and trigger overtime pay obligations unless you make clear that employees should report to work at their usual starting time in order to avoid employees clocking in earlier. If you have employees who work a late shift during the early morning hours when the changeover back to ST occurs, these employees will be on the job an extra hour and must be compensated for all time worked. The extra hour may result in overtime pay for employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act or under applicable state overtime laws. You should make certain that eligible non-exempt employees are paid for all time worked, including the extra hour of work for employees who work an early-morning shift on Sunday, November 6 this year.
For more information on DST and ST in general, please refer to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, by clicking here.