Time Sheets Can be Tricky

Time sheets can be tricky. It’s ironic how something like measuring your time can be less than punctual (or accurate). The last thing a manager wants to do on a Friday afternoon is chase down employees to fill out their time sheet.  The last thing employees want to do on Friday is try to remember what hours on which projects they worked all week, when most of us can’t remember what we had for dinner last night.

Here are some best practices that can improve your company’s timekeeping ability. Sometimes it can seem like keeping track of time is a chore or a headache, but with the right software that’s simple to use but also compliant with government regulations, you take increase both the accuracy and timeliness of timekeeping.

Friday Forgetfulness   

It’s been documented that the most accurate way to record time, is by filling out your timesheet as you go through the day. This makes sense as your memory will be the freshest, rather than trying to guess-timate what hours you spend on what project on Friday afternoon, when all you can think of is the weekend. However, this is only efficient if you have timekeeping software that is easy to use and quick to update.

According to a study done by AffinityLive, inaccurate timesheet can costs businesses billions of dollars a year, especially those services that use billable hours. However, the study also concludes that daily time tracking is 66% accurate versus 35% accuracy of those who fill our time less than once a week.

Train Employees On Timekeeping  

To increase the accuracy and punctuality of timekeeping, it’s important to adequately train your employees to know the importance of, and the company policies regarding time keeping. Having intuitive, easy to use software will also help make training simple and decrease confusion down the line.

Manual Timekeeping is for the birds—Automate it up  

The  Defense Contract Auditing Agency (DCAA) News, a government organization that audits contractors looking to secure government contracts and requires accurate and compliant timekeeping recommends that you automate your timekeeping.

…skip any form of manual bookkeeping; make your life easy with an automated software system that is DCAA compliant. These software packages can inform what data needs to be tracked, can automate approvals, can allow for employees to clock in or out from anywhere, creates invoices, enables downloads into QuickBooks, tracks leave time, can create extremely detailed ad hoc reports, provides password protection and so on. These software packages can allow managers to managers on more tangible tasks while at the same time being able to view accurate timesheet data.”

It’s important to choose time keeping software that is simple to use for both employees and administrators, but also that can grow with your business. Finding a time sheet that can be customized to your business’s needs is another way to ensure that your company is accurately recording hours and expenses.

CabuzTime is a proven timekeeping tool that has been used to pass many DCAA audits. Being web-based means that your employees can enter their time from any device that has an internet connection. CabuzTime can grow with your business and be customized to fit your unique business needs.