(Reuters) - Home Depot Inc said on Wednesday it will change its pay policy for hourly employees starting Jan. 16, with associates being paid based on exact time punches.

"Our policy has been to round total shift time up or down to the nearest 15 minutes ... we're changing our practice nationwide to pay hourly associates to the nearest minute," a company spokesperson said.

Business Insider first reported on the development, adding that several Home Depot employees filed lawsuits in recent years accusing the company of purposefully rounding down their pay.

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), some employers track employee hours worked in 15 minute increments, and the FLSA allows an employer to round employee time to the nearest quarter hour.

(Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru)