In an ideal situation, your business would have no payroll issues arising due to the incompliance of workers. When workers fail to submit their timesheets on time, it affects the entire payroll management.
Getting workers to log their time is a tricky problem for managers. Only a few employees enjoy recording their work hours every day and then submit to their managers. Sometimes, timesheets are filled in correctly; sometimes, workers forget to punch in at the start of their shift, and sometimes they participate in buddy punching.
According to an Adobe study, 56% of enterprise workers and 65% of SMB leaders find filling out timesheets significantly distracts employees from actual work. Employee time and attendance management software is the best option to automate timesheet management.
However, if the workforce regularly needs more timesheets, it is a challenge for managers to decide how to get employees to submit timesheets on time. An easy solution is a timesheet reminder.
Table of Contents
What is a timesheet reminder?
A timesheet reminder, also known as a timecard reminder, is a written or spoken message or an automated notification prompting workers to track their time and submit timesheets. These reminders become necessary to ensure that work hours are logged accurately, and timesheets are submitted before the deadline.
While timesheets are essential for employees and employers, it is still common to see workers failing to comply. Before you can take a corrective measure, it’s necessary to understand the reason behind their behavior.
Why are employees not submitting timesheets on time?
1. Workers are unsure of what to record
If your workers are unaware of the tasks and activities that should be included in timesheets, they can easily get confused and mess up their timesheets.
Does time spent in meetings with supervisors count?
What if workers are in the store room for some spare part collection?
When there are no set guidelines, employees will have no idea what to log and what not to log. Managers should appropriately define billable and nonbillable activities and communicate with the workers.
2. They might be delaying it willingly
Often workers wait until the last minute to submit their timesheets and then need to remember. But there are other reasons employees might fail to submit the timesheets. If workers finish their work earlier or later, they might hesitate to fill out their timesheets.
It may be because they may assume they look inefficient or get more workload. This can also prompt them to fill in the timesheets inaccurately.
3. Timesheet keeping is tedious and unclear
Manually filling out timesheets is a cumbersome exercise that every worker despises. The more details a timesheet requires, the harder it might be to fill. When your workers are busy with their shifts, it is unrealistic to spend time filling out forms to keep track of time throughout the day at work.
This is another reason companies should switch from manual to automated employee time tracking.
How to get employees to submit timesheets on time?
Whatever may be the reason, there are some measures that you can take to ensure employees submit accurate records of hours worked within the deadline.
Here are the steps you can take.
1. Create a policy around timesheet submission
If your workers are not aware of the consequences they can face if they do not submit their timesheets on time, they will probably miss the deadline. Creating a clear and comprehensive timesheet policy that explains when and how workers should submit their timesheets is essential.
Under the policy, managers can detail the rules regarding filling timesheets accurately daily. Mention why workers should submit timesheets when asked (you can say that early submission provides enough time for supervisor review and payroll processing that translates into accurate compensation).
Include the period for timesheet submission, whether employees should submit them on the same day, weekly, or monthly. It is also helpful to designate a person to answer any inquiries regarding timesheet-keeping procedures. The same person can be responsible for onboarding new hires and helping them with the timesheet submission process for the first time.
2. Provide clear guidance on the deadline
The deadline for timesheets depends on the payroll cycle. A company can have multiple payroll cycles – employees getting paid hourly, weekly, or monthly. You should provide clear guidance on when a particular worker should submit the timesheet depending on his role and payroll schedule.
3. Set up email reminders with automation
If you are in the retail or hospitality industry where managers are often busy with customer service, it can be hard to keep monitoring and reminding workers to clock in or out every day without fail. Lapses occur, which if not taken care of can make payroll calculations hard at the end of the month.
The managers will scramble to know whether the worker was present or worked their scheduled shift on days they missed clock in or clock out. A simple and highly effective solution is to adopt software that sends daily timesheet reminders. It is a simple yet highly effective measure to ensure employees remember to clock in or out daily.
If you are not using an employee time and attendance management software like Truein, then you can set up simple email reminders to alert workers to clock in and out on time and when it is time to submit their timesheets.
Here is a sample timesheet reminder email for staff who haven’t filled out their timesheet.
Subject: Timesheet Submission Reminder
Dear [Employee’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. As we approach another week, I would like to take a moment to remind you about the importance of submitting your timesheet in a timely manner.
Accurate and punctual timesheet submissions are crucial for several reasons:
1. Payroll Processing: Timely timesheet submissions ensure that you receive your salary without any delays.
2. Project Tracking: Your timesheet data helps us track project progress and allocate resources efficiently.
3. Compliance: Accurate timesheets are essential for compliance with labor laws and company policies.
4. Transparency: It promotes transparency and accountability within our organization.
We kindly request that you submit your timesheet for the current pay period by [Deadline Date], which is [X] days away. If you have already submitted your timesheet, we appreciate your promptness.
To submit your timesheet, please follow these steps:
1. Log in to our timekeeping system using your credentials.
2. Select the current pay period.
3. Enter your hours worked each day, making sure to include any overtime or leave hours as necessary.
4. Review your entries for accuracy.
5. Click the “Submit” button.
If you encounter any issues or have questions about the timesheet submission process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [HR/Timekeeping Support Contact] for assistance.
We understand that everyone has a busy schedule, and timely submissions help us maintain the smooth operation of our payroll and project management processes.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your dedication to our company’s success. Your efforts are truly valued.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Company Name]
[Contact Information]
Truein is a cloud-based, hardware-less employee time and attendance management system offering a timesheet reminder feature. With this nifty feature, timesheet reminders are completely automated and HR is saved from all the hassles of notifying workers who fail to comply with the company’s timesheet-keeping policy.
Here is how you can set up a timecard reminder alert on the Truein user app in a few simple steps:
- Open the Settings option from the Account menu in the user app.
- Under the “Enable Attendance Alert,” you will have two options:
Previous Day In-Out Time: This will notify workers based on their previous day’s punch time.
Scheduled Time: Workers can set a time to receive a timesheet reminder alert notification.
Click Save once changes are made.
Truein gives freedom from writing timesheet submission emails to workers every time they miss timesheet deadlines. By setting up a simple, friendly reminder, employees can be alerted. Schedule a demo today and try Truein for free!
Conclusion
When employees are repeatedly late with turning in their timesheets, it can be a frustrating experience for the managers. However, the inability to submit timesheets differs from the reason for not accurately paying your workers. Companies must properly train workers and make them aware of appropriate disciplinary actions.
A transparent and progressive timesheet-keeping policy avoids such situations. But the most effective measure is to utilize an automated tool like Truein to improve timekeeping procedures and set timesheets reminder.
