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 serves 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
Timesheets are easy to fill in. Your employees understand within seconds how to enter their working hours. However, timesheets are also inaccurate compared to digital time recording methods, for example.
Hardly any employees – in fact probably not a single one – enter their exact working hours on a timesheet. Anyone who has worked 7 hours, 58 minutes and 3 seconds will probably round up to 8 hours. That doesn’t sound too problematic at first. What’s 2 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, that adds up to 2,000 minutes. That’s over 30 additional hours that you have to pay for, even though no work was done 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 during the calculation itself due to incorrect use.
Especially as the effort involved is quite high. The timesheets have to be filled in. Then they are transferred to a table. They are then calculated. Then the pay slips are created from the calculations. With digital time recording, all of this can be done with just a few clicks.
This makes time recording with timesheets inefficient. In addition, filling out timesheets costs time that could be put to better use. If the project number has to be re-entered in the timesheet every time a new task is completed and minutes are added up, time is lost.
Timesheets and the regulations for recording working hours
There are no regulations as to which methods of working time recording must be used. However, there are certain requirements as to what characteristics 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 tricky. The working hours 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 always possible to make false statements, change information afterwards or simply make timesheets disappear.
However, objectivity is also not fully available. 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 of continuous insight.
This is also accompanied by the problem that timesheets do not allow for process optimization at all times. 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 incorrect planning, you can only 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 has been invested. This makes it possible to make adjustments to projects at any time.
Conclusion
Timesheets are an easy-to-understand method for recording working hours. However, they have certain risks that can lead to errors. In the worst case scenario, 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.
