What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
(OP)
Where I work, the arrival of 2016 has brought with it new rules for filling timesheets. Previously, I would enter time on any project to the work order, and if I was in some kind of staff meeting or training session, that would go in the "Other" slushpile slot. Work was easy to track since I just had to put in 8 hours of time on the project in any given day. I wouldn't bill time to a job when I was having lunch or chatting with co-workers. Now, the new rules require us to put some kind of break-time on our time sheets. It still goes in the "Other" slushpile, but now my 8-hour day must include that time in the total. If I enter 0.5 hour of break, then I put 7.5 hours to the job.
This seems ridiculous to me. If I don't change my actual working habits, then I will actually have more than 1 hour of this "break" time to put on my timesheet, making my chargeable time just 7 hours, and the remaining hour I continue to work will count as overtime! I don't mind being paid overtime for doing what I normally did in a regular day, but I cannot imagine how the company can justify accounting for time this way. Feels like a shell game to me - I can't quite put my finger on it.
If I put myself in the customer's shoes, wouldn't I think that the company is reducing its employee's hours, and letting schedules slip?
Does anybody else account for time this way? Does it ever make sense to record break time?
I get the creepy feeling that there's another shoe going to drop...
This seems ridiculous to me. If I don't change my actual working habits, then I will actually have more than 1 hour of this "break" time to put on my timesheet, making my chargeable time just 7 hours, and the remaining hour I continue to work will count as overtime! I don't mind being paid overtime for doing what I normally did in a regular day, but I cannot imagine how the company can justify accounting for time this way. Feels like a shell game to me - I can't quite put my finger on it.
If I put myself in the customer's shoes, wouldn't I think that the company is reducing its employee's hours, and letting schedules slip?
Does anybody else account for time this way? Does it ever make sense to record break time?
I get the creepy feeling that there's another shoe going to drop...
STF





RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
Currently, my timesheet hours don't go to payroll, either, except for overtime I clock in. I'm supposed to be salaried, too. That's another reason that this is getting strange: Why account for every minute of my day if I'm salaried? Or am I not salaried any more? My original question was long enough so I didn't mention it, but 6 months ago, all employees are expected to "punch-in" with an electronic swipe card. And not just designers like me; so does my supervisor, and I think even the director of the engineering department does, too. All of these changes make me and my co-workers feel like we're all going to be paid hourly soon.
STF
RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
In 1991 our division was acquired by EDS and the first thing we learned was that when Ross Perot set up the company he wasn't going to have any bean-counters sitting around figuring out which nickle had to come out of whose pocket and which pocket they would eventually supposed to end up in. We had no time sheets and while there were still 'cost centers' no one ever moved money from one to the other just because you did some work for someone. Those 'cost centers' were just for keeping track of what was budgeted to you in terms of expenses and direct costs. Heck, EDS didn't even have a personal department. Every admin handled whatever HR tasks needed to be done for their people, again because Perot felt that was a waste of time to have a separate group of people to do that> They didn't even keep track of vacation or sick days taken. Yes, your admin kept track, but the figures never left her/his desk and while you did have to request vacation time, it was nothing more than a formality since it was really between you and your boss as to what you hours were and when you could take time off. It was his responsibility to make sure everyone was accomplishing what they were getting paid to do. If everything was getting done on time, things were pretty flexible. Granted, if someone higher up felt that the privilege was being abused someone would get the message eventually. EDS was a strange place to work sometimes with the lack of rules experienced elsewhere. But then we had some odd rules of our own, like a very formal dress code. Men has to wear suits, not sport coats, but dark suit coats with pants that match, and button-down collar WHITE shirts and shoes with laces (no loafers allowed). Foe women, it dresses or fitted suit which were preferred but a nice conservative skirt and blouse would work (but NO pantsuits or slacks).
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
The farther removed the bean counters are from the product, the more obtuse the requirements become. Everyone who makes such decisions should be required to work in that environment so that they see the issues they create.......but then there's the approach used by one of my former supervisors......"I don't want to know how it's done, 'cause then I might not want to tell you to do it"!!
RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
To add injury to insult, this week I begin printing my time sheet - on paper - to sign, scan, and then e-mail back to my supervisor. Every week, I will fill out a paper timesheet. In addition to the electronic database. In the 21st century.
STF
RE: What to Include on Time Sheets, and What Not To
I think this isn't too uncommon for us in the consulting world who have many jobs at a given time.
Keeping track of the non-billable time is not only good for the reasons stated above, but at my company we would be able to see who spends half their time chatting vs producing without hurting the job multiplier (assuming they are honest)