Your time tracking method is set to Track by entering hours by default, which means employees will enter the total number of hours worked.
However, if you'd prefer to log the shift's exact start and end times, you can easily switch the tracking method to Track by entering start and end time.
This article will guide you through changing your preferred time tracking method.
How to Change Your Preferred Time Tracking Method
- Head over to Time Tracking and click on the Settings tab.
- In the General Settings section, under Preferences, you'll see your current time tracking method. To change it, just hit Edit.
- Under Preferences, choose the time tracking method you prefer—either Track by Entering Start and End Times or Track by Entering Hours.
- Finally, hit Save to apply the changes.
When you switch to track by start and end times, you'll see fields for entering your work's start and end times, and a new Start-End Time column will appear.
The Hours column will display the total based on each entry's start and end time.
Editing Timesheet Entries
You can only edit time entries using the same method they were created with.
For instance, if you switch the time tracking method to start and end time tracking but later decide to go back to entering total hours, any entries made with start and end times won’t be editable until you switch back.
Guidelines for Tracking Start and End Times
To avoid errors or warnings, make sure to follow these guidelines. If any of these are not met, you'll see a warning:
- The start time must come before the end time.
- No overlapping time entries are allowed on the same day, even if they’re for different projects. We want to make sure everyone’s time is accurately logged.
This includes adding an unpaid lunch break. Continue reading to learn how to handle unpaid breaks. - We’re still enforcing a maximum of 24 hours per day.
Handling Unpaid Breaks in Timesheets
If your time tracking is synced with payroll, you must create separate timesheet entries to account for unpaid breaks, as overlapping entries aren't allowed.
For example, if you worked from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM with an unpaid break from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, you'd submit one entry for 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and another for 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
If your time tracking isn't synced with payroll, you can simply add a note indicating that the break from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM was unpaid.