How do companies hit their goals? Contrary to what you may think, there is no or little magic involved in the process. A lot of it is pure calculation. A huge part of the correct calculations is keeping an eye on the budget, including such areas as expenses and payroll. How exactly should we know how much to pay our employees? Do we know how much time they actually spent working while being at work? What about the breaks and idle time? All these questions have one simple answer: timesheets. It is timesheets that help companies keep track of work hours and ultimately hit their goals. But it is only a snippet of the possibilities that timesheets give. Today's article will show you that timesheets are probably the best thing you can get in Asana to enhance your team's performance.
Manual time tracking or digital timesheets?
Let us start by describing two ways of getting timesheets. The first one involves print-outs and manual input of team member’s working hours. Then, at the end of the day, they need approval, usually in the form of a signature from the manager and a submission to the payroll department. It all takes place in person. Although, for some, it might be satisfying to go through the whole process on paper, the process has many flaws.
Firstly, we are all people and lose things constantly. Need proof? Close your eyes and say out loud where you put the pen you had in your hand a second ago. It is easy to lose timesheets being also the only proof of work that had been done.
Secondly, nowadays, everything not only changes but does it constantly. Especially in a fast-paced work environment. Therefore, the timesheets we agree on at the beginning of the week quickly become outdated.
Modernity does not take the form of paper timesheets. It brings them in a digital form. And it not only means filling them manually online, it means generating them automatically. How? Thanks to the time-tracking software. Modern online time tracking allows you to:
Share timesheets with team members;
View and make changes in real-time;
Edit timesheets if necessary;
Create timesheets for certain projects;
Add variables to your timesheets.
Why do you need it all? There are certain benefits to getting time tracking and timesheets in your project management tools, such as Asana. Let us take a closer look at them all.
Advantages of timesheets in Asana
Whatever form of timesheets (we will elaborate on this later) you decide to get for Asana, will bring a variety of positive effects to your everyday business.
Enhanced team productivity
Asana timesheets are created based on the time tracked that your team members spent on tasks and projects. It gives a clear insight into where the problems might lie (if there are any!). These may be inefficient time management, too big a workload, and many other issues. Timesheets help to identify them and make data-driven decisions to resolve them. You can allocate resources differently redistribute work, and streamline processes. As a result, you will receive a boost in productivity, greater project outcomes, and a content team.
Better project planning
What time you think a task or project takes is one thing, but what time it actually takes is a different story. Asana timesheets help to gather data on the actual time spent working. Once you compare the actual numbers to your initial estimates, you can modify your project planning accordingly and calculate deadlines more realistically. No more delays, but on-time project delivery, ongoing client satisfaction, and a better business reputation.
Accurate performance assessment
It is no surprise that accurate time tracking helps in identifying the performance of the whole team. However, it also applies to individuals. Timesheets serve as a basis for appraisal of the performance. Thanks to the analysis of time data you can identify top performers, troubleshoot problems, and recognize outstanding contributors.
Simple invoicing
Data included in timesheets streamlines the invoicing. It is thanks to the precise records of billable hours, which accurately indicate how much time your team spent on which project.
Timesheet types
The timesheets you use depend on two factors: the frequency of paydays and laws and regulations applicable to your business location. Based on that, we can distinguish:
Daily timesheets, which work great for teams with complex work schedules. Such teams may start and finish work multiple times during the day and their work time must be closely monitored. Such timesheets are also great for tracking time spent on meetings, on admin work, and client projects.
Bi-weekly timesheets are the choice of companies that pay employees on a bi-weekly schedule. They help to analyze the team's performance based on 80-hour blocks.
Monthly timesheets help to see the utilization rates and recognize teamwork patterns.
Timesheet templates
Timesheet templates are a great way to simplify the payroll processes. The employees get a ready timesheet complete it and deliver it at the end of the work period. Easy? Not quite, as it turns out. Often team members do not fill out timesheets correctly, which then needs rechecking and corrections. One way to avoid mistakes is to explain thoroughly how to use timesheets. Let us guide you through what such a process may look like.
Select a template
The essential point of making things work your way is selecting the right timesheet template. Get advice from the HR and legal teams and choose based on their advice and pay period. You can also customize your timesheets based on what you want them to focus on (it can be eg., productivity, billing clients, or the relation of hours to tasks). Custom timesheets are especially useful to teams that work remotely or have a unique work schedule. Such templates should include a data table with columns containing hours and rows containing days.
Add employees details
Label the timesheets with the name and surname (or chosen identification method) of your team member. It is a good idea to also include the manager's name, department, pay period dates, and pay rate.
It will serve as a standard for time tracking and will keep the team members organized.
Customize categories
Customize the categories according to your business needs. For example, add the overtime hours column, the holidays hours column, and the sick leave hours column.
Other ideas may include:
Hours worked during the project;
Billable hours;
Time spent in meetings;
Travel time;
Admin tasks time.
Make sure you do not add too many categories to your timesheet template. It may make it less clear and result in your team not understanding how to complete it and ending up making mistakes.
Explain the procedures
Ensure your team gets trained on how to complete the timesheets correctly. Include such important information as:
Timesheet due dates,
Overtime policy,
Late timesheet submission consequences.
Again, remember to be consistent with applicable laws and restrictions regarding payments.
Let the time get tracked
It is now your employees' turn to act and their responsibility to complete the timesheets correctly. They might have a difficult time adjusting to the new procedures so offer them a helping hand if they need it.
Such help may also come in the form of giving them efficiency-boosting tips, such as:
Using a running timer to track time,
Clocking in and out at the start and end of every day,
Using time management solutions, like timeboxing or time blocking.
Add up the total time
A simple timesheet template's advantage is providing a clear visualization of the total time worked. However, you still need to put the time in and add up the total work hours. The additional advantage is that your team members will know how much their pay will amount to.
Timesheet template elements
Below, you can find examples of elements that a timesheet may include. You can treat it as a cheat sheet or you can simply create a timesheet from scratch.
What a timesheet can consist of:
Start time
Break start time
Break end time
Finish time
Holiday/sick leave
Total regular hours worked
Overtime hours
Total overtime hours
Manager signature.
The secret to easy timesheets
As you can see, tracking time with timesheet templates is a very thought-out process. However, in many cases, it turns out to be ineffective. Why? Firstly, too much responsibility is placed in employees' hands. Counting hours properly, filling out the timesheets, checking the hours, and adding them up. It is not only prone to errors but also extremely time-consuming. If only there was a way to generate timesheets automatically. The good news is, that there is such a way. It is TimeCamp. Integration of Asana with such time-tracking software allows you to take advantage of many features, such as:
One-click timer that can be switched on and off with just one click
Timesheets based on automatic or manual time entries
Daily, weekly, and calendar view of your timesheets
Timesheet approval online - no need for paper copies and signatures
Copying timesheets- recurring tasks and daily responsibilities are the same and can be copied from previous timesheets
Check out the whole list of features our free forever plan and premium plans offer. Say no to old-school, time-consuming paper timesheets and track your team performance with TimeCamp time tracking software.
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