Timesheet errors aren’t just annoying—they’re costly. When your teams don’t have the right tools to keep their shifts organized and tracked, your business pays for it. But with the right technology, timesheet errors can be avoided, so your employees get paid for the time they worked and your operational costs stay on budget. What is a timesheet?A timesheet is a tool that employers use to monitor the duration of a time that an employee spends on their work or a specific task. Commonly known as “time cards,” a timesheet is like a log of employee clock-ins and clock-outs, especially for workers who are paid on an hourly basis. Its purpose is to keep track of employees’ hours and time records, supporting the calculation of payroll based on their working hours. What are the common types of timesheetsThere are a number of common types of timesheets that small business use—some convenient, and some less so. Like the paper version, which is a physical document, and a digital timesheet which provides a more modern take on tracking time. Paper timesheets
Paper timesheets are physical documents that employees use to manually record their clock in-and-out times, plus any breaks or notes. At their best, paper timesheets typically include:
While the above is a list of what paper timesheets should include, often they don’t. A hastily scribbled schedule that doubles as a timesheet isn’t that surprising to find tacked to a bulletin board. Although paper timesheets can seem easy and efficient, tracking time manually is extra prone to errors. Digital timesheetsLet’s get digital. Digital with your time tracking, that is. Digital timesheets are used by small businesses to make the tedious task of time tracking more streamlined. Bonus: digital timesheets mean a lot less error. They automatically calculate total hours worked, overtime, and things like special pay rates, meaning managers don’t have to sit around with a calculator to figure out who gets paid what and when. 4 common timesheet errors to look out for1. Forgetting to track timeEmployees rushing in to make their shift on time? Whoops—that might result in starting without a clock-in. The same thing can happen if an employee is returning from break, asked to hop on during a busy period, or has to run out to catch the next bus, which unfortunately, comes just two minutes after their shift ends. 2. Incorrect timesDo your workers’ timesheets seem a little off? You might be right. Recording incorrect times is a common timesheet error. It can happen with clocking in, clocking out, and when employees take their breaks. When done intentionally, it’s called time theft, and it can cost you money. Regardless, when it’s done on a regular basis or by multiple workers, the price adds up, costing you money, and the time and energy to fix it. 3. Round ups, downs, and approximationsThis type of timesheet error is very common. For example, an employee is scheduled to finish their shift at noon, but it’s 11:51 a.m. and the day is slow. So, the employee decides to mark their end time at 12, but leaves almost 10 minutes early. This is easily done with paper timesheets, and depending on how much it happens, it can be a significant loss to your business for time you’re paying your team when they’re not working. 4. OmissionsWe thought about leaving this one off the list… but omissions are a timesheet error that shouldn’t be missed. This error can happen when an employee leaves out certain information or notes that pertain to their shift. For instance, a worker takes an extra 5 minute break each shift, but only makes it as their 15, or an employee left 20 minutes early to make a doctor’s appointment but jotted down their usual end time instead. What’s the cause of timesheet errors?Finding errors in your timesheets? It might be due to one of these four common causes. The wrong technologyTechnology is great, but it isn’t always perfect. Depending on the tools your workers are using, you might experience bugs or technical issues that can leave your timesheets with errors. For example, maybe your Google Sheet has a formula wrong that regularly skips all Wednesday shifts for payroll. On top of that, if the technology wasn’t specifically designed for how your team works, you and your team might end up with some questions. Human errorThey say “to err is human”, and if you’re using timesheets at your business, you’d probably have to agree. But to be fair, it’s normal for mistakes to happen, especially when there’s lots to keep track of. With budgets, schedules, performance reviews, busy peaks, and payroll, you don’t always have time to keep up with timesheets. This can lead to mistakes that add more to your to-do list and subtract from your profits. Not the growth your small business is looking to achieve. Time theftThis timesheet error can be an accidental mistake, but sometimes can be committed purposely. Time theft is when a worker takes unauthorized time without clocking it, or using paid time off or paid sick leave. Simply put, it’s about stealing time. And that’s all top easy to do with manual timesheets. Damaged or lost timesheetsThis one’s for the paper-timesheet losers. No, we’re not being mean—we’re being honest. What’s the impact of timesheet errors?Mistakes happen, but when it comes to your timesheets, they can add up. Literally. In fact, one survey has reported that payroll problems affect 82 million American workers. So, what does that mean for your business? The true cost of timesheet errorsFirst, let’s talk about money. Timesheet errors can put a dent in your budgets and profits. According to an American Payroll Association study, time tracking mistakes from issues like buddy punching are the reason why about 75% of businesses lose money. Team morale can also drop from timesheet errors. Picture this: your employee receives their pay and notices that it’s about a hundred dollars short. This confuses them, as they were on the schedule for 30 hours in one week, but their pay is accounting for only 25. Now, back to payroll and HR. Here’s where timesheet errors can be extra sticky. Timesheet errors and human resourcesCompleting payroll requires a lot of accuracy and efficiency. If timesheets don’t offer that, the process is going to be more difficult than it needs to be. There’s the extra time spent tracking down teammates and their timesheets. Then, the questions about time off or missed clock-ins. Finally, you’ve got to bring everything together and hopefully calculate it all correctly to get your staff paid the right amount. Last but not least, let’s go over the legal stuff: labor laws. Timesheets aren’t just there to make sure that you’re not underpaying or overpaying your staff. Timesheets help you stay compliant with the law, including overtime violations and minimum wage disputes. 3 ways to prevent timesheet errorsTimesheet errors are preventable. Here are three tips to reduce and prevent these tedious mistakes. 1. Move on from paperIf you haven’t guessed it already, paper timesheets aren’t usually the best way to track time. By saying goodbye to traditional logs you’re able to usher in more modern, streamlined, and efficient approaches to time tracking: the digital time clock and automated timesheets. 2. Use the right technologySo, you’ve said yes to going digital, but now what? You’ve got a few options to choose from when it comes to a modernizing timesheets, but you’ll want one that’s made for how you do business. 3. Communicate with your teamCongratulations! You’ve got the technology you need to make timesheets a breeze… so, now what? It’s time to communicate this to your team. And with the right software that’s built for teams just like yours, you won’t even need hour-long how-to videos. Avoid timesheet errors with HomebaseThe good news? Timesheet errors don’t have to happen. Timesheet errors FAQWhat are timesheet errors?Timesheet errors are the mistakes that happen when workers improperly record and track their hours, including start and end times, breaks, and time off. What are some examples of timesheet errors?Some examples of timesheet errors are inputting the wrong time or rounding up or down. This could be an employee tracking their time as a 3 p.m. clock out when they actually left at 2:45 p.m. because their shift was slow. What causes timesheet errors?Timesheet errors can happen for a number of reasons, like technological errors, human error, and unintentionally, like clocking in early or late without thinking of the impact it has on pay or the business. What’s the impact of timesheet errors on a small business?Timesheet errors can have big impacts on small businesses. When mistakes happen, it can result in overpaying or underpaying workers, plus a taxing and tedious payroll process. When mistakes come through on an employee’s pay, trust, morale and productivity can drop. Timesheet errors can also cause compliance issues with labor laws, which can impact the workload—and reputation–of business owners. Is your business struggling with timesheet errors? Homebase can help your team avoid the headaches and stress that start with timesheet errors and end with disgruntled employees and lost payments. Get started for free. The post Stop timesheet errors: digital timesheets to save you time and money appeared first on Homebase. via Homebase https://joinhomebase.com/blog/timesheet-errors/
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