--- title: $3.8 Million Disney Fine Underscores Importance of Timekeeping description: Find out why Disney paid a hefty fine and what you can do to avoid the same. image: https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/Zay%202.jpg --- 1 min read # $3.8 Million Disney Fine Underscores Importance of Timekeeping [![Picture of Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/Horizon-Icon-Logo.png) Brad Johnson ](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/brad-johnson) : July 5, 2017 at 2:10 PM [Scheduling & Timekeeping](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/scheduling-timekeeping) When businesses run afoul of labor provisions, the fines can be sizeable. Recently, Walt Disney Co. reached an agreement with the Department of Labor (DOL) to pay out $3.8 million to 16,339 employees. The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division determined that Florida-based Disney Vacation Club Management Corp. and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. Inc. failed to observe the the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime, minimum wage and record keeping provisions. Do you employ hourly staff members? Are you in compliance with all DOL standards? DOL officials say that the illegal Disney practices are fairly widespread. In a [DOL press release](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20170317), Daniel White, District Director for the Wage and Hour Division in Jacksonville, says: > ***“These violations are not uncommon and are found in other industries, as well.”***  These are some of Disney’s specific violations: - Failure to pay employees for required pre-shift responsibilities - Failure to pay employees for required post-shift duties - Allowing an employee’s hourly rate to temporarily fall below minimum wage because of a nonelective paycheck deduction for uniform rates **Even a Couple of Minutes Count** Keep in mind that the pre- or post-shift assignments for the Disney employees could have only taken a couple minutes. If a team member is supposed to change into a uniform (or costume in the Disney case) before their scheduled shift, they must be paid for this time. Do you require your team members to get their workstations ready, or perform other responsibilities before their designated shift start times? In a [Forbes article](http://fortune.com/2017/03/17/disney-labor-department-costumes-employees-charged/), Daniel White advises:  > ***“Employers must accurately track and pay for all the hours their employees work."*** **Are You Prepared for an Audit?** **Horizon**** Has Tools to Protect You** If you are using pen and paper time and attendance systems, it’s almost impossible to accurately track employee hours. **[TimeWorksPlus](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/time-management/time-and-attendance/timeworksplus), [TimeSimplicity](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/time-management/timesimplicity), and TimeWorksTouch make up the Workforce Management Suite**. Workforce Management Suite solves your compliance headaches. 1. Track employee time to the minute 2. Easy clock in/out for offsite employees 3. Automatically create audit-ready reports Because our suite is fully integrated, you won’t have any problems getting all of your time and attendance, scheduling and payroll data synced together accurately. [Contact us today](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/request-sales-quote/) for a demo and learn how Workforce Management Suite can help you avoid the expenses of a labor audit. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![8 Reasons You Need Automated Timekeeping](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/images/Blog_Images/clocks.jpg) ](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/8-reasons-you-need-automated-timekeeping) 2 min read #### [8 Reasons You Need Automated Timekeeping](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/8-reasons-you-need-automated-timekeeping) ![Picture of Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Horizon-Icon-Logo.png?width=30&name=Horizon-Icon-Logo.png) [Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/brad-johnson) : August 15, 2017 at 1:12 PM Think you don't need automated timekeeping? Think again. But what exactly is it and how can it help your business? [Scheduling & Timekeeping](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/scheduling-timekeeping) [Read More](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/8-reasons-you-need-automated-timekeeping) [![14 Work-themed Holidays to Observe in 2019](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/adult-2449725_1920.jpg) ](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/14-work-themed-holidays-to-observe-in-2019) 6 min read #### [14 Work-themed Holidays to Observe in 2019](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/14-work-themed-holidays-to-observe-in-2019) ![Picture of Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Horizon-Icon-Logo.png?width=30&name=Horizon-Icon-Logo.png) [Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/brad-johnson) : December 20, 2018 at 8:47 AM As you wrap up 2018 and look ahead to 2019, be sure to check out these work-related, unofficial holidays. They can be a fun way to interact with... [culture](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/culture) [Scheduling & Timekeeping](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/scheduling-timekeeping) [Read More](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/14-work-themed-holidays-to-observe-in-2019) [![High Turnover Does Not Have To Mean High Cost](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/Server.jpg) ](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/high-turnover-does-not-have-to-mean-high-cost) 2 min read #### [High Turnover Does Not Have To Mean High Cost](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/high-turnover-does-not-have-to-mean-high-cost) ![Picture of Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Horizon-Icon-Logo.png?width=30&name=Horizon-Icon-Logo.png) [Brad Johnson](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/brad-johnson) : June 13, 2017 at 12:51 PM The restaurant industry is known for its high employee turnover rates. According to the National Restaurant Association, "the turnover rate in the... [Payroll](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/payroll) [Onboarding](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/onboarding) [Scheduling & Timekeeping](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/scheduling-timekeeping) [Read More](https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/high-turnover-does-not-have-to-mean-high-cost) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Brad Johnson", "url" : "https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/brad-johnson" }, "dateModified" : "2026-03-10T23:50:59.067Z", "datePublished" : "2017-07-05T18:10:04.000Z", "headline" : "$3.8 Million Disney Fine Underscores Importance of Timekeeping", "image" : [ "https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/Zay%202.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/blog/3.8-million-disney-fine-underscores-importance-of-accurate-timekeeping", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.horizonpayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/Horizon-Logo-Official.png" }, "name" : "Horizon Payroll" } } ```