Digital Timesheets – Speed Up Your Payroll Processing

Using a digital timesheet template speeds up the processing of payroll by ensuring the data in the timesheet is accurate and immediately available. And they don’t need to be overcooked, a timesheet is a simple document for workers that records the time spent on individual tasks. Sounds simple, but it is not surprising how often timesheets are the cause of payroll delays.

Mostly, they are designed with a tabular format look, and can be printed out.  But it is still just paper, and open to data entry errors from hard to read writing and data entry errors. Leading timesheet management technologies, including freshOps.com.au of course,  are now web-based as technology costs have been lowered and staff salaries have risen. This has meant the cost-benefit of digitizing this process are now more financially viable.

Timesheets collect a range of data … but you have to make it available digitally

Timesheets don’t just collect time on and time off for an employee. When this data becomes digital they can be readily used to generate insights on a range of data. We can use them to find out how much effort certain tasks require, compare staff performance objectively, track resource costs and other project expenses to inform future budgeting and estimating exercises. The ideal timesheet template for Australian business can be converted automatically into online timesheets leading to real-time decision making.

Good timesheets become a template for your business

Our clients use freshOps as their web-based software for allocating activity, tracking time, entering accurate data into payroll and overall management of works. We are constantly working with clients ongoing to find new ways to unlock more insights in the data to allow us to better manage and report on our reporting and insights.

When we get this to fit tightly we wind up with a systemised processes and a more efficient business. In particular we can accurately find where actual works are not adhering to estimated effort versus actual times works take on each site and for each cleaner. All of this goes toward more accurate estimating of new jobs, and especially when tendering to retain works.

 You can then manage your greatest resource better … your people

We use this data when measuring employee performance, and identification of tasks that are problematic. And with data, as opposed to infrequent observations, you can then have constructive and objective discussions with staff on performance and activities that have become unprofitable.

But if you do stay with paper timesheets, here are some tips to help

1. Templates for timesheets ideally need separate versions to cover different time frames, all accounted for in the separate worksheet tab. These will include weekly or bi-weekly formats with decimal values used or in hours/minutes form for recording the completed work time (in hours and minutes).
   TIP: We suggest going with decimals, as most payroll software asks for this.
2. Provisions for a separate rate of pay for regular hours completed and overtime hours are needed to be reflected.
   TIP: ensure you are across the award for penalty rates that can kick in for time spent on certain tasks, not just total time on shift.
3. Ensure you leave space for management to optionally record the in and out of the hours worked and their calculations.
   TIP: get management to use a different coloured pen so their changes are easily identified. Perhaps even initialing changes in case you need to query amendments.
4. Keep options to include the tracking of hours worked on specific projects.
   TIP: ensure your tool can track hours worked by every employee for each site AND for each task can be valuable in finding options to reduce costs when re-tendering.

If Payroll and Timesheets are a hassle, we can help

The time saved for our clients in time tracking, timesheet recording, data re-entry and errors avoided is a key benefit. It is probably the first advantage of rolling out freshOps across a business, so contact us today or register for a free trial and see for yourself.