UnityPoint Health Sued Over Time-Rounding Pay Practices

West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging its timekeeping practices left hourly employees underpaid, according to court documents obtained by Becker's Hospital Review. The named plaintiffs are Jennifer Randolph, RN, who worked for the system for about 16 years, and Maggie McMahon, RN, who worked at UnityPoint's Rock Island, Illinois location.

The case centers on time rounding, the practice of adjusting clocked hours to the nearest set increment. When rounding consistently favors the employer, workers can lose paid minutes across every shift, adding up over time. Wage-and-hour suits over rounding and off-the-clock work have become a recurring legal risk for large health systems, which employ thousands of hourly clinical and support staff.

For hospital operators, the takeaway is practical: timekeeping software and rounding rules are now a compliance exposure, not just a payroll setting. Systems that automate time capture should confirm their policies round neutrally and pay staff for all hours worked to avoid class-action liability.