Even for the most organized worker, filling out a timesheet can easily slip your mind on particularly busy days. This small oversight can significantly impact the overall accuracy of your timesheets.
To provide a clearer understanding of timesheet errors, we’ll delve into the most common occurrences in the workplace. Most importantly, we’ll outline strategies to minimize mistakes in timesheets. By keeping these mistakes to a minimum, you not only enhance efficiency but also guarantee that your pay is accurate and delivered to you on time.
The Digital Age
Using digital timesheets, like Everyminute, simplifies the task of tracking working hours. Employees have the option to input their hours manually at the end of the day or use a timer while working to track time accurately. The software then automatically calculates the total working hours per day, week, month, or year. Managers or supervisors can easily analyze the logged time of employees. Another handy feature is the ability for workers to keep track of billable and non-billable hours for each project.
So, what are the main advantages of using a software like Everyminute? Besides recording time, timesheets assist you in:
- Monitoring attendance and overtime, while also providing a clearer idea of employees’ compensation.
- Tracking project progress to determine the exact number of hours spent on specific projects, enabling accurate client billing. Additionally, timesheets aid in creating more precise project budgets.
- Adhering to industry standards and compliance regulations, such as The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Common Types of Errors
No matter how careful we are, mistakes can still happen. That’s why it’s crucial to recognize the common types of errors that can occur with timesheets.
Typos can occur when employees fill out paper or digital timesheets manually. With paper timesheets, if an employee’s handwriting is illegible, managers or supervisors may misinterpret certain numbers. For instance, the number 1 could resemble the number 4, leading to potential errors. In digital timesheets, even the most meticulous of us can accidentally type the wrong number. Proof reading entries after they’re entered is a surefire way of reducing errors.
Time theft happens when employees get paid for hours they haven’t actually worked. This timesheet mistake can occur in various ways:
- Team members take extended breaks.
- Team members clock in or out on behalf of their colleagues (buddy punching).
- Team members spend their time on personal activities like browsing social media or websites.
- Team members forget to clock in or out when working.
As for forgetful employees, it’s important to note that some workers unintentionally fail to log their working hours. For example, when employees have a busy day and simply forget to fill out their timesheet. On the other hand, some workers intentionally keep their time tracker running even after they’ve completed their work. When employees purposefully forget to log out, it’s done in order to clock more hours worked (even though they haven’t actually worked that many hours).
Establishing a Clear Time and Attendance Solution
For both employees and employers, it’s important that a clear and concise system is in place to accurately track attendance. Understanding how you want your employees to log and track their time is essential. It’s also crucial to ensure that the process is easy, quick, and accurate for success.
For some companies, it’s mandatory to track breaks during the day, while others may omit this requirement. If your company requires employees to clock their scheduled breaks, make sure they understand how to do so. Also, if you, as an employer, allow for early or late clock-ins, inform your team members about this policy as well.
if your company permits overtime work, clearly outline the circumstances in which overtime is approved and instruct your workers on how to record these additional hours. This way, you’ll mitigate any potential risks of wage theft and have confidence in the accuracy of records.
One significant aspect to consider is the type of pay period your company uses. Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly, employees should know what type of pay period is in place and how it will impact their timecards and pay.
Double-Checking Before Submitting
Just as with any important document or form, validating your timesheets is a crucial step in ensuring accuracy. You wouldn’t send an important email without checking for typos, right? The same goes for your team’s timesheets. These records will affect how a team member is paid, so it’s crucial that both management and employees fully understand the information contained in timesheets before submitting them to the payroll department. Submitting accurate timesheets ensures correct payment and reduces the risk of time and wage theft.
Conclusion
Errors in timesheets can easily occur, and it’s crucial to avoid mistakes. To mitigate risks such as time and wage theft, employers or managers should transparently establish the company’s official time tracking system and time theft policy. It’s important for everyone to be on the same page regarding tracking time and attendance.
Whenever possible, employees should meticulously review their timesheets before submitting them to supervisors, as this is the best way to catch errors early on. Additionally, utilizing time and attendance software like Everyminute can benefit everyone. These tools help reduce the risk of calculation errors, provide an easy way for team members to log hours, and offer easy-to-read reports for management to validate.
