Timesheets
Introduction
In organisations where staff are paid hourly, there is a need to record detailed information about the hours worked by individual employees. This is also true where staff work flexible hours, or where they are paid overtime.
There are several potential shortcomings if paper-based timesheets are used. In general terms, paper-based systems are slow and prone to error (forms can be illegible, or slow to arrive). Information then needs to be manually re-typed into office systems by administration staff. When there are queries, or when problems do arise, it can be difficult to find out what happened.
Overview
The People Inc. timesheet feature enables employees to submit individual timesheets. These are approved by their manager before being passed to payroll for processing. Users can access a full history of timesheets and analyse these using reports.
The ESS timesheets feature enables employees to submit timesheets via a PC (or mobile phone). These timesheets are automatically routed to their manager for approval before the People Inc. system is updated. The timesheet information can then be extracted and passed to payroll.
The timesheet information held within People Inc. can be used to generate management reports, for example, a summary of hours worked (including overtime), etc.
Timekeeping Alternatives
People Inc. provides several different ways to record employee attendance. In addition to this employee timesheet feature, it is possible for managers to record departmental timesheets (where they record the hours worked for their team for a week or month). It is also possible to implement extensive time and attendance functionality (shift-patterns, clock-in, clock-out, etc.) using the People Inc. time module. See the links at the bottom of this page for more information.
The Process
The Timesheet add-on is accessed via the Employee Self-Service module. As well as being able to create and submit new timesheets, employees can see a full history of their timesheets using the ESS.
Each timesheet has a summary area (at the top) which details information about the employee and the time-period; this area also details the progress of the timesheet through the approval process. At the bottom of the timesheet, the employee can add the hours they have worked via a list of day entries (i.e. date, start time, end time).
The feature manages timesheets in the following way::
- Employees create a new timesheet (timesheets can be weekly or monthly). The timesheet includes a row for each working day (based on the employee’s work pattern). If there are existing absence bookings recorded in the system for the days in question, these will be added to the timesheet automatically.
- Employees complete a timesheet, detailing the hours they have worked in the period, together with information about breaks. If an employee had worked outside their standard work-pattern they can insert additional rows in the timesheet to accommodate this. It is possible for individuals to review a timesheet several times before they submit the form.
- The submitted timesheet is automatically routed to the employee’s manager for review/approval. Managers can be notified automatically when new timesheets have been submitted (via e-mail). Timesheets awaiting approval appear in a list in the ESS.
Features at a glance...
- Record individual employee timesheets
- Integration with employee work patterns
- Integration with employee holiday bookings
- Routing of timesheets for approval
- Managers create/update timesheets
- Second level approval feature
- Historical records retained
- Processing tracked and updates logged
- Extract timesheet information for payroll
- Generate financial/management reports
- If the manager is not happy with the timesheet, they can make changes themselves (if this feature is enabled) or they reject the timesheet. When a timesheet is rejected it is passed back to the employee for re-submission. Note that it is also possible for a manager to add timesheets on behalf of one of their employees (once again, this feature must be enabled).
- Once approved by the manager, the timesheet is locked and marked as ready for payment and the employee is informed via e-mail.
- If a second level of approval is required (by a senior manager or finance for example) the system can be configured to pass approved requests on in this way. In this case, timesheets approved by the line-manager are passed on for second-level approval automatically.
- Either payroll staff are given access to timesheet details within the People Inc. system, or details of approved timesheets are extracted (usually in spreadsheet format) and passed to payroll for processing.
At each stage, the timesheet is updated with details of who has submitted, amended or approved the entries, and the employee is informed of progress with their timesheet via e-mail.
Both employees and their managers have access to historical information about timesheets via their ESS login. They are also able to generate PDF copies of timesheets. All timesheet-related information is available in the People Inc. system and can be used to financial reporting.
Benefits
The People Inc. timesheet feature provides a range of benefits. Having timesheets recorded centrally within a database means that staff know where to go to access timesheet information (including full historical records). It is then, for example, easy for everybody concerned to spot that a timesheet is missing. In a paper-based (or spreadsheet-based) system, it is much more likely that information will be missing or difficult to find, particularly once some time has passed.
The People Inc. timesheet feature ensures that timesheet details are recorded and verified at source. The employee themselves, and their line-manager are best-placed to record and verify timekeeping details. Working in this way also ensures that information is typed just once (saving time and safeguarding accuracy).
The timesheets enable staff to record more detail about their working day. For example, they can record information about their activities and details of any breaks. This can help to ensure compliance with legislation (Working Time Directive) and provide additional timekeeping data analysis.
The timesheet feature records the information required to enable organisations to manage flexitime schemes and overtime payments. And while the responsibility for the day-to-day management of this information is delegated to line-managers, a full overview is available to HR users.
Benefits at a glance...
- Centralised timesheet records
- Records recorded and verified at source
- Retains detailed records (including breaks)
- Helps to manage flexitime and overtime
- Submitted timesheets available immediately
- Errors and omissions identified easily
- Status-update indicates progress
- Ability to browse history of timesheets
- Ability to report on timekeeping
The timesheet feature works in real time. There is no delay between the submission of the timesheet and its visibility throughout the system. New timesheets are available immediately (and missing timesheets can be identified immediately). If there is a cut-off date for completing the timesheet form, this can be enforced easily.
Users, line-managers and employees can all see the current status of a particular timesheet, and as timesheets are processed, each step is annotated with the user, date and time. This enables users to follow up queries retrospectively.
Once recorded within the system, the timekeeping data can then be processed electronically. It can be exported (usually as an MS Excel sheet) and used to ‘feed’ a payroll system, and it can be used as the basis for financial, management and analysis reporting. A selection of Excel extract definitions and reports are included with the feature.
Implementation
The People Inc. Timesheet feature is an add-on for the Employee Self-Service module. Installation and set-up takes 2 or 3 hours.
There is a cost associated with the feature. The cost depends on the size of the organisation in which it is used (number of employees). Please contact your account manager for more details.
More Information
Please complete the form (below) or contact your account manager, or contact P&A Software Solutions on 01908 265111 for more information about the Expense Claims add-on.
More Information
Related Features
People Inc. provides a comprehensive range of features designed to help manage employee timekeeping and attendance. Those interested in managing timekeeping within an organisation should also see the following topics:
