Time Keeping – Rules, Management, and Who Signs the Time Sheet
The peculiarities of timekeeping are quite important and require further study. It is also essential to find out who signs the time sheet and how the entire process takes place, as well as what is needed for it.
Timekeeping is one of the key components of organizing work at any enterprise, regardless of its size, form of ownership, or area of activity. It allows employers to control the actual hours worked, plan personnel workload, calculate salaries correctly, and avoid disputes with employees and regulatory bodies.
What is timekeeping?
In modern employment relations, as more companies transition to flexible work arrangements, remote formats, or combined schedules, proper and transparent timekeeping becomes particularly important. The extent to which employee attendance is recorded systematically affects not only salary payments but also the confirmation of the fulfillment of their labor obligations, the possibility of receiving social guarantees, and compliance with legal norms. Thus, the time sheet is an important document that must be prepared correctly, timely, and responsibly.
Timekeeping involves systematic recording of information about hours actually worked by employees, including weekends, holidays, vacations, sick leaves, business trips, and other types of absence. It is not just an internal document but an official basis for calculating salaries, bonuses, allowances, premiums, compensations, and guarantees. In most cases, it is maintained through a time sheet – a unified form approved by the State Statistics Service, which contains special designations for various types of attendance and absence. A properly prepared time sheet allows determining whether an employee complies with their schedule, whether the norm of hours is exceeded, and whether there are any violations of labor legislation.
Why is timekeeping necessary?
Timekeeping serves several functions. Firstly, it is the basis for salary accrual: if the data is filled out incorrectly, the risk of salary errors increases significantly. Secondly, it allows the employer to monitor discipline by recording tardiness, absenteeism, overtime, work on weekends or holidays. Thirdly, the time sheet is necessary for calculating vacation pay, sick leaves, and other compensations since it confirms how much the employee has actually worked. Fourthly, it protects the interests of both the company and the employee: in case of disputes or inspections, it is an official document that confirms compliance with working time norms. Additionally, proper timekeeping helps plan personnel workload, determine actual time spent on tasks, and optimize processes.
What types of timekeeping exist?
There are several main types of timekeeping, each of which corresponds to certain work conditions and practices. The most common is daily timekeeping, where the number of hours worked each day is recorded. This option is suitable for a standard 5-day or 6-day schedule. The second option is cumulative timekeeping, used in cases of non-standard work schedules, shift work, or when it is impossible to establish the same duration of the working day. In this case, the norm of hours is calculated over a longer period – a month, quarter, or even a year. There is also timekeeping for remote workers, which involves recording completed tasks, contact check-ins, or self-scheduling of work. For employees with flexible schedules, a separate approach is used where time is recorded based on actual working duration within the total norm of hours.
Main methods of timekeeping
Companies can employ various methods to record working time, depending on technical capabilities and the specifics of their activities. The most traditional method is a paper time sheet, which is filled out manually by a responsible person. This allows for keeping records even without special equipment, but increases the risk of errors. Electronic timekeeping is popular, where data is recorded by a computer system or HR software. Such systems can automatically determine check-in and check-out times, tardiness, or absence. Some companies use access control terminals – cards, fingerprint scanners, or other identifiers. For specific facilities or manufacturing enterprises, turnstiles or electronic access systems are used. In remote work, time trackers, completed task logs, or regular reports can be employed. Each method has its advantages, but the main thing is that the system ensures accuracy, objectivity, and compliance with legislation.
How to properly maintain a timekeeping sheet?
The timekeeping sheet must be maintained daily, and the responsible person should record all attendance, hours worked, and absences using established codes. The most important thing is to do this systematically and in a timely manner, as entering data "retroactively" can lead to salary errors and claims from personnel. The sheet must specify the type of each absence: business trip, sick leave, vacation, absenteeism, or performance of state duties, etc. If an employee is working under a flexible schedule, the actual number of hours is recorded. In the case of cumulative timekeeping, the total hours for the accounting period are calculated. After the month ends, the sheet is checked by the head of the respective department and then sent to accounting. It is on this basis that salaries are calculated, so accuracy and responsibility in maintaining the document are critically important. The time sheet must be signed by an authorized person, the manager, and stored in accordance with document management norms.
Who signs the timekeeping sheet?
The timekeeping sheet is an official document that records the actual number of hours worked by employees of the enterprise. It is important not only to fill it out correctly but also to sign it correctly. The main rule: the signing of the time sheet is carried out by the head of the structural unit or the immediate supervisor of the employee responsible for monitoring working time. In large organizations, an additional signature from the chief accountant may be required to confirm the correctness of salary calculations.
An employee has the right to familiarize themselves with the time sheet before signing it to verify the accuracy of recorded hours, including vacations, sick leaves, and overtime. If errors are found, the manager is obliged to make corrections and provide documentary confirmation of the changes. Signing the time sheet is not merely a formality: it confirms that the manager has taken into account the actual recording of the employee's working time and is responsible for its accuracy.
It should also be noted that in the case of remote work or business trips, electronic time sheets may be approved, where signing is done digitally through the corporate timekeeping system. They have the same legal force as paper documents, provided that the legal requirements for electronic document management are met.
Typical mistakes in timekeeping
Even with stringent adherence to timekeeping rules, mistakes often arise in practice. The most common include:
- Incorrect completion of the time sheet – employees or managers do not account for all types of working time: overtime, night shifts, vacations, or sick leaves.
- Delays in signatures – the absence of timely signature on the time sheet by the manager or employee can lead to legal disputes regarding the actual working time.
- Ignoring remote work – the lack of time recording when working from home or on business trips often leads to inaccuracies.
- Data duplication – incorrect transfer of hours in different sections of the document or entering the same data multiple times.
- Discrepancy between actual and recorded time – where the actual hours worked do not match the entries in the time sheet, this creates issues with salary calculations and tax obligations.
To avoid these mistakes, it is essential to adhere to established filling rules and monitor the process at all stages – from the start of the working day to the manager's signature.
Tools and automation systems for timekeeping
Modern enterprises are increasingly transitioning to automated timekeeping systems. This helps minimize the risk of errors, accelerates the recording process, and ensures transparency for all stakeholders. Among popular solutions:
- Electronic time sheets – record the start and end of the working day, breaks, and overtime. Employees can enter data themselves, and managers confirm them in the system.
- Biometric control systems – using fingerprint scanners, access cards, or facial recognition to accurately record entry and exit times.
- Software for remote teams – allows monitoring the working time of remote employees, recording activity on computers, and task accounting.
- Mobile applications – convenient for field employees who can register the start and end of work from any location, automatically integrating data into the main system.
- Integration with ERP and HRM systems – connects timekeeping with salary calculations, vacations, and personnel documentation.
Utilizing such tools not only enhances the accuracy of record-keeping but also saves administration time, ensures transparency for employees, and improves discipline within the enterprise.
Automation also allows for the rapid generation of reports for internal audits or controls by state bodies. For instance, it is easy to track the total number of overtime hours across structural units or employees, analyze the effectiveness of time usage, and plan resource allocation.
Timekeeping systems with automatic verification of entered data help avoid typical errors, such as record duplication or incorrect reflection of night shifts. Furthermore, integrated systems remind employees of the need to fill in the information promptly, reducing the risk of violations and helping adhere to the enterprise's internal procedures.
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