eTimesheets - Review: Earth Tech Testimonial
Earth Tech Engineering, like many engineering contracting companies, considers staff time management pivotal to its business operations. Central to that process is an effective, robust timesheet system that accurately validates time bookings, allocates time accurately, has an auditable approval process, and provides the means for costing and billing time.
The company was established in 1992, servicing both the Consultancy and Contracting sectors within the water, waste water and environmental business sectors. With a diverse client base, the company developed its own business and project control systems, with a timesheet system which was closely tied into its HR database. Although the timesheet system worked well, it had many limitations, principally brought about by the inefficiency of paper batch inputting, staff being located at numerous sites, and poor validation at source. In 2002, the company looked for ways to overcome these limitations by allowing direct individual on-line timesheet entry, validation and approval. After considering a number of options, the browser-based system developed by Inter Weavers most closely matched our business needs, especially as it allowed data entry from any location. Within a very short implementation and testing period, the system went live in December 2002. From the outset, the system proved intuitive to use, was universally welcomed in preference to the paper system, by both staff and supervisors. It also provided genuine savings in staff time and cost, and led to a near total head count timesheet capture, thereby improving client invoicing and cash flow.
The main advantage that the Inter Weavers system has over other timesheet software products is ease and intuitiveness of use. Even without training, new staff have no difficulty in completing their time records accurately. The weekly email timesheet availability message that the system automatically sends out to all staff not only acts as a reminder, but also provides valuable information such as the employee’s annual leave entitlement and leave days remaining. The completion of the timesheet itself is made easier by having look up tables to display booking code availability, a drop down pick list for entering overtime (where eligible), and a check to ensure that the total hours on the timesheet submitted corresponds with the individual’s contracted working week. Other features have also proved extremely useful, such as providing an on-screen sickness self-certification form, the ability to enter a multiplicity of codes down to units of one tenth of an hour or to block book the entire week against a single code, the facility to enter and justify business mileage, etc. The timesheet approval process has also been streamlined by allowing the timesheet supervisor for a group of staff to review all timesheets submitted in one session. Codes entered on the timesheet can be expanded on-screen to give the full description. Should the supervisor disagree with any booking made, he/she can reject the timesheet by stating the reason, and the employee is requested by email to amend the timesheet accordingly.
The system is used by all 500 employees working for the company, be they permanent, temporary, consultants or agency. In fact, the system has proved so effective, that it has even been embraced by Earth Tech’s joint venture partners, greatly simplifying the complexities of joint venture accounting. The system has been audited in depth by a number of Earth Tech’s clients, all of whom have given it their unqualified approval. Although the system the company uses has been further customised to a limited extent, the basic software should suit most companies’ business needs.