Timesheets are still very popular for time recording in many companies. And for good reason: it is an established system that is easy to understand and fulfills its purpose. However, there are a few disadvantages to timesheets, which we would like to present to you here.
It can also be more accurate than with timesheets
Time sheets are easy to fill out. Your employees will understand within seconds how the working time is entered. However, timesheets are also inaccurate compared to digital time recording methods, for example.
Hardly any employees – in fact probably not a single one – record their exact working hours on a timesheet. If you have worked 7 working hours, 58 minutes and 3 seconds, you probably round up to 8 working hours. That doesn’t sound too problematic at first. What’s two minutes?
But imagine 200 employees work in your company and each of these employees writes down 2 minutes more every day. That’s 10 minutes per employee per week. With 200 employees, this adds up to 2,000 minutes. That’s over 30 hours that you have to pay extra for, even though you didn’t work during this time.
Admittedly, this is a rather unlikely example. But it shows that over a long period of time, timesheets can add up to a lot of rounded time.
In addition, time recording with timesheets is also relatively error-prone. Illegible handwriting can lead to errors when transferring the data to the calculation table. Errors are also possible in the calculation itself due to incorrect application.
Especially as the cost is quite high. The time sheets must be completed. They are then transferred to a table. They are then calculated. The pay slips are then created from the calculations. With digital time recording, all this can be done with just a few clicks.
This makes time recording with timesheets inefficient. In addition, filling out timesheets takes up time that could be put to better use. If the project number has to be re-entered in the timesheet for each new task and minutes are added together, time is lost.
Timesheets and the regulations for recording working hours
There are no regulations as to which methods of recording working time must be used. However, there are certain requirements as to what features the working time recording must fulfill. These requirements are set out in the ECJ ruling.
The specifications are:
- Objectivity
- Reliability
- Accessibility
Reliability is where things get difficult. The working times must be secure against attempted manipulation in order to pass as clear evidence in the event of a legal dispute. This is a fine line with timesheets. Theoretically, it is possible at any time to make false statements, change details afterwards or simply make timesheets disappear.
But objectivity is not fully present either. According to the specifications, time recording must be carried out using a method that does not require estimates. This is not always the case with timesheets in the sense that hours are rounded up or down. Both the employee and the employer must be informed about the records at all times. As timesheets are not exchanged continuously, there is no guarantee that they can be viewed at all times.
This is accompanied by the problem that process optimization is not always possible with timesheets. As an employer, you only see the hours worked as soon as you receive the timesheets from your employees.
If a project costs more time than calculated, for example due to faulty planning, it is only possible to react late. A modern time recording system gives you an insight into the hours worked in your company at all times. At the same time, you can also see for which project and which tasks this time was invested. This makes it possible to make adjustments to projects at any time.
Conclusion
Timesheets are an easy-to-understand method for recording working time. However, they do have certain risks that can lead to errors. In the worst case, these errors cost a company a lot of time and, above all, money. Time and money that can be saved with a modern time recording system such as the timecard can save.
