Time tracking
Prepare hours for payroll with a clear weekly close
Month-end problems rarely involve every record being missing. More often, a few explanations are absent: an open timer, a sick day or a site change. A short weekly close spreads clarification across the month and makes payroll handover easier to follow.
Agree the required format first
Before the first export, ask your payroll contact which fields and identifiers are needed. Names alone are unreliable when colleagues have similar names. Agree employee numbers, reporting periods, absence types and treatment of later changes. A test with two people over a few days reveals misunderstood columns or units sooner than a full monthly run.
Do not leave every check until Friday
Set a weekly review time. Check open timers, missing days and unusual values with the team. Mark what still needs clarification and what has been checked. A plausible total does not replace reviewing individual days: two incorrectly allocated days can hide each other when added together. Resolve the source of the error while people still remember the work.
Keep the handed-over version identifiable
Record which period and version went to payroll. Later changes need an explicit correction notice rather than another unexplained file with the same name. The responsible specialist determines how supplements and particular absences must be treated under the applicable rules. Your preparation supplies traceable data rather than silently making those decisions on their behalf.
Your business checklist
- Agree employee numbers, units and export format in advance.
- Resolve missing days with workers every week.
- Distinguish checked entries from unresolved ones.
- Identify later corrections against the handed-over version.