Choosing Optimal Time Entry Formats

Transcription

1 Choosing Optimal Time Entry Formats An Attendance on Demand Primer Summary Today s time and attendance systems can be configured with a variety of time entry formats. However, organizations that do not select the format that best aligns with the usage of the employees and the recordkeeping needs of payroll may find their time and attendance data delayed, unrepresentative or downright inaccurate. By ensuring a time entry format provides basic functions, understanding how the employees and organization will use the data, and then weighing the advantages of each format to choose the best match, organizations can benefit from more accurate and up-to-date timekeeping and payroll records Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 1

2 Choosing the Best Way to Enter Time in Your Time and Attendance System Choosing the way employees enter time in your time and attendance system can either encourage or discourage accurate, consistent time capture. A format that makes time entry quicker and easier helps employees report their time as frequently as necessary, ensuring more accurate time records, payroll information, and time and attendance reporting. Step 1: Cover the Basics Most web-based time and attendance systems feature several time entry formats to accommodate different needs of employees and employers. Before deciding on optimal formats, employers should be familiar with basic functionalities every format should offer. In general, a time entry format must provide: A straightforward way for employees to enter start and end times for a shift Summary information of hours worked for the time being viewed An approval function for organizations that require workers to approve their time cards before submitting to payroll A way to review time entry transactions and adjustments made by both the employee and his or her supervisor Totals of hours worked for each pay designation (or pay category, including regular time, overtime, vacation, sick time and/or personal time) These basic characteristics ensure employees can manage their time accurately and limit interference or reliance on a second party for daily time entry. Once an organization ensures these functions are included, decision makers can move on to considering the more strategic questions surrounding time entry format selection. Step 2: Ask Strategic Questions Selecting an appropriate time entry format requires thinking strategically about who will use the time and attendance system, and how will they use it. Consider three key questions: Who are your stakeholders? Who will be using the time and attendance system to enter time? Do specific departments or teams need a different way to capture time, or will all employees benefit from a standard format? Do supervisors have needs that must be considered? How will employees enter their time? Will they use a time clock to punch in and out, or will they do it manually through the system? Will they need to allocate their time to specific departments after the fact? Or will they need to track tasks and time throughout the day? What kind of information do payroll and HR departments need? How will they use the time and attendance data? For labor budgeting? Workforce management? Benefit records? What kind of reports does your organization need to run? Which format will best capture and produce that information? Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 2

3 Once you have an idea about who will use the system and what they need, you can begin assessing time entry formats for the one that will best suit your needs. Some organizations will find one format useful across all departments and teams, but more commonly, organizations will require two or more formats to meet their needs. Step 3: Take a Tour of Time Entry Formats With a list of needs from stakeholders and a solid understanding of how the time and attendance system will be used, decision makers now need to become familiar with different types of time entry formats available, including Time Card, Tasksheet, Timesheet, Worksheet and Allocation Sheet. Time Card The Time Card format offers an at-a-glance summary of time and attendance transactions for a pay period. Employees can view in and out punches as well as other transactions. The current period is displayed for convenience, but employees can choose Prev. Period to review transactions from the prior pay period and approve their time card for submission to payroll. Figure 1. Time Card format In Figure 1, the Transactions tab shows in/out punch times, total hours, scheduled hours and any exceptions or deviations from scheduled attendance. This Time Card format also offers a Pay Period Totals section including total hours for pay designations (regular time, overtime, vacation, sick time, etc.) and the pay group (department and shift) where hours have been allocated. The Activity tab shows transactions performed and requests for time off made so employees can ensure certain activities are performed (such as approving a previous pay period s time card). The Adjustment tab shows any adjustment made to the time card by the employee or supervisor Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 3

4 Tasksheet The Tasksheet format offers a different way to capture time. Because it uses punch transactions and workgroup assignments for blocks of elapsed time, it is especially effective for employees working in multiple departments or workgroups. Figure 2. Tasksheet format The Tasksheet in Figure 2 allows employees to enter start and end times with specific department or shift codes selected from a drop-down list. Tasksheets can be useful in identifying holes during the workday. This Tasksheet automatically starts the next task when the previous one has ended. Any unallocated time is assumed to be a break. The Tasksheet quickly summarizes work schedule, workgroup, total amount of hours and pay designation. Selecting Prev. Period allows employees to review and approve prior pay period information Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 4

5 Timesheet The Timesheet format displays in and out totals for each pay designation and allows employees to punch in and out in a single workgroup. Figure 3. Timesheet format In Figure 3, this Timesheet lets employees enter in/out punch times and view total hours for each shift. Pay designation ( PD ) such as regular time, overtime and vacation totals are also shown for each shift. Employees can also review and approve previous Timesheets from the prior pay period Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 5

6 Worksheet There are two types of Worksheet formats: the Weekly-Based Worksheet and Pay Period-Based Worksheet. The Weekly-Based Worksheet is a week-by-week rendering of time, regardless of pay period. The Pay Period-Based Worksheet offers the same format advantages but displays time according to pay period instead of by week, and punches are not required to allocate hours. Figure 4. Worksheet format For both types of Worksheets, employees can enter time by department. Unlike the Tasksheet, the Worksheet provides departments, they do not have to be entered. The Worksheet also shows total hours for each workgroup for the week or pay period. At the bottom, pay period totals indicate how much time has been allocated to a particular pay designation and department or shift. The Activity tab offers a summary of Worksheet activity, and the Adjustments tab shows any adjustments the employee or supervisor has made to the Worksheet Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 6

7 Allocation Sheet The Allocation Sheet format allows employees to punch in/out, and allocate time to workgroups after the fact. With this format, employees can manage absences and expenses, and view time off requests, status and daily summaries. Figure 5. Allocation Sheet format The Allocation Sheet in Figure 5 lets employees track benefit balances and expenses (such as tips) by date. Total work hours for each day are displayed and can be allocated to specific workgroups. Unallocated (or overallocated) time is displayed so employees can be sure they are allocating time correctly. Summaries of pay designations amounts are displayed with hourly-based and/or dollar-based pay designation. Conclusion: Benefits of Selecting the Right Time Entry Format Deciding on the optimal formats for time entry demands strategic thinking, but its benefits can be widely felt across the organization. With an easy-to-use format that best suits the needs of the employee and employer, the result is more accurate and up-to-date time records submitted by employees. This in turn will reduce payroll errors and prompt fewer last minute requests by payroll for employees to submit and approve time entries. The organization will benefit from better time and attendance data, leading to more powerful reporting. Labor and labor budget trends are easier to identify, and government compliance and due diligence efforts are supported Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 7

8 About Attendance on Demand, Inc. Attendance on Demand supports the labor management needs of thousands of companies and more than a half million employees across North America. Launched in 2006, Attendance on Demand is a rapidly deployed, cloud-based solution that minimizes a company s risk and technology investment while providing advanced features for securely managing labor data calculating pay rules, scheduling employees, budgeting labor, and automating recordkeeping for labor law compliance. With standard uptime over the industry average of % and above average customer retention rates, Attendance on Demand removes the worry of maintaining expensive infrastructure. An extensive North American distribution network helps organizations use Attendance on Demand to reduce labor expenses and improve decision making. To find out how Attendance on Demand can help your organization, call or visit Attendance on Demand, Inc. All rights reserved. page 8 Attendance on Demand is a registered trademark of Attendance on Demand, Inc. 03/13 rev 02/15