Keeping track of the number of hours your employees work is essential to your business. Not only does it help to measure productivity, but it will enable you to determine employee pay, scheduling, overtime, etc. But how can you effectively keep track of your employee’s working hours?
One of the best ways to log employee hours is by using Google Sheets Time Sheet. Let’s explore how to make a timesheet in Google Sheets, but first, what is Google Sheets, and why do we even need timesheets?
Google Sheets Overview
Google Sheets is a simple free online spreadsheet program. You can create an expense report, purchase order, project timeline, invoice, etc. You can make these documents utilizing templates and customizing them to fit your business needs. The best part is that you can create and access them at work, home, or even on the go.
However, creating timesheets in Google Sheets isn’t always a walk in the park; thankfully, Google has a timesheet template that you can customize to your business needs. Google offers a Weekly Time Sheet template which is a great starting point for using and eventually creating timesheets.
The Need for a Timesheet
A timesheet is a document where employees list their time working on a particular project or task. In the past, employees would use physical timesheets to track the hours they worked each day. Employees would then return the paper timesheets to a supervisor to calculate pay.
While paper timesheets had their time in the sun, online timesheets are even easier to use. Online timesheets are easy to create, submit, and file. Every business, big or small, needs digital timesheets.
Benefits of Using a Google Sheets Time Sheet
Google Sheets is easy to use; similar to Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets provides ranges and data cells that you can manipulate for a specific purpose. There are many benefits of using Google Sheets to create timesheets; they include:
1. Timesheet Customization
One of the best things about a Google Sheets Time Sheet is that it is easy to customize to your business. From your company info to the employee’s name, each timesheet can be curated for each employee. You can also set the pay rate, which will allow Google Sheets to automatically calculate your employee’s pay as they add in their time worked.
Besides tracking hours worked, you can create different projects in a single timesheet for your employees. The second document attached to the timesheet will then break down how much time was spent on each project during the selected timeframe.
2. Increased Accessibility
Google Sheets is a cloud-based program that enables users to create and manage timesheets from their computer or mobile device. Since adding time worked is easy, your employees should have no excuse for not logging their hours worked.
With the ability to access your timesheet online at any given time, you can also track the time you spent on a project and export it to be used for invoicing or expense reports.
3. Ease of Use
Google Sheets Time Sheet has an intuitive interface that is easy to use for even the most technology challenged. Once a timesheet has been created, you can easily share it with your employees, allowing each of you to have access to it. Additionally, if you have access to your employee’s timesheets, they will not have to turn them in physically. Payroll will become an easy task!
Making a Timesheet in Google Sheets
It’s time for the fun part, actually making a timesheet in Google Sheets! Follow the steps below to create a Google Sheets Time Sheet.
Step 1: Open a New Google Sheets Time Sheet
To open a new Google Sheets Time Sheet, navigate to your Google account, then your Google Drive. On the top left, there is an icon that says “+ New.” Click this to open a dropdown menu, hover over Google Sheets, then the > to the right of the words “Google Sheets,” then click “From a Template.”
This will open the Google Sheets Template Gallery. Scroll down to the Work section to find “Weekly Time Sheet.” Click this template to open. Currently, this is the only free template that Google offers in sheets, but you can customize it daily, weekly, or monthly depending on your business needs.
Step 2: Review the Timesheet Settings
Once your Google Sheets Timesheet is open, click “File” on the top left. Hover down to “Settings” and click it. Under the “General” tab, the pop-up screen will allow you to customize the “Locale” of your timesheets, such as the United States or Finland. You can also customize the time zone in which time is to be reported. This may be important if you have employees across the country or even the world.
You can adjust the recalculation rate under the “Calculation” tab, such as “On Change, On Change and Every Minute, and On Change and Every Hour.” Based on your choice, these options will tell your timesheet to recalculate the total hours worked and the total pay. The default is “On Change” and will probably work for your business needs, but it is easy to change if you would like your document to calculate pay more often.
Step 3: Input Your Set Data
Now it is time to input the data you know will stay constant with each pay period. But first, change the timesheet title; click the sheet name located in the top left; the default title is “Weekly Time Sheet.” You may wish to change it to “Generic-Timesheet-2022.”
Customize any other relevant data such as your company name, address, employee name, pay period, hourly rate, dates, etc. Once you have your timesheet updated, you can begin to share the document. Don’t worry about saving your work; Google saves all content without you having to hit a save button.
Step 4: Make Employee Copies of Your Timesheet
Your first step after creating your timesheet is to create individual copies for each employee. To do this, click “File” on the top left of the menu bar. Next, hover down to “Make a Copy,” then click.
A new window will pop up, which allows you to name your copy. Choose something specific to your employees, such as their employee number or name, when naming the timesheet copy, Andersen-Timesheet-2022. You can then save it to a specific folder in your Google Drive and share it with your employee. Once you have changed the name and selected your options click the green box, “Make a Copy.”
Your timesheet copy will be created and sent to your relevant employees. When they are ready to input their hours, the timesheet will automatically calculate data, and you will be able to access their timesheet at any time since you have the master on your Google Drive.
Employee Usage of Timesheet in Google Sheets
Once you have dispersed your timesheet, you are ready to see your employee’s hours tracked digitally and online. When in use, your employees will do the following:
Add Hours Worked for a Specific Day & Project
Your employee will open their shared timesheet and add hours manually. Most often, the employees who use this type of timesheet work from home, on the road, etc. Your employees may not be required to clock in and out, but they record their total hours worked. If you need your employees to clock in and out, you will need to create the appropriate cells.
As an example, Andersen worked Monday, April 18th. She worked 4.5 hours on Project A, 2 Hours on Project B, and 1.5 hours on Project D. Andersen did not work on Project C. Andersen’s total worked hours for Monday is 8 hours. The timesheet in Google Sheets will automatically calculate her pay as $216 for the day. (8 hours X $27/hour).
At the end of the week or pay period, your employee can send their timesheet back to you via a PDF, or you can access their timesheet via your Google Drive access. You can choose to reset your employee timesheet or have your employee makes the changes. The changes that will need to be made include changing the date and deleting any old hours worked.
Final Thoughts
A timesheet is an essential tool to track your and your employee’s work and project progress. By being organized and logging your time, you can create a more efficient schedule and better manage your company time. It will also make payroll faster when you use software that automatically calculates total employee pay.
While Google may be limited in their premade timesheet templates, starting with their Weekly Time Sheet will let you explore the benefits of digital timesheets. Using Google Sheets Timesheet, you will find ways to better your company timesheet practices. Don’t be afraid to add or remove features, and as your employees use the timesheets, ask for their input about your new time-keeping system.
Try making a timesheet in Google Sheets, as you need a timesheet that works for you and your employees, not one that works against you.
