A new web-based timekeeping system for University employees will be phased in this fall. Instead of paper, pen and campus mail, employees can complete their time and leave sheets on a computer and send them with a click of a mouse.

 “The cost of preparing, editing and verifying paper timesheets for payroll entry is substantial — an estimated $1.7 million annually,” said Kim Curtis, the project manager in the Finance Division. “Add the cost of 6,000 to 8,000 sheets of paper each payroll, the cost of photocopying and filing, labor expenses to sort and enter each time sheet and you can easily see how expensive a manual process really is.”

Work on the project began in 2003 to assess departmental requirements. The software system developed by Kronos is called Time Information Management (TIM). Kronos was selected from among 11 software vendors.

During the design phase, the design team has met with managers and employees from several departments to ensure a software configuration capable of interpreting and processing the University’s array of pay practices, Curtis said.

Betsi Snipes, director of Payroll Services, said TIM was designed to streamline existing processes related to logging employees’ time. Just as important, it will help to ensure everyone is paid accurately for the work they perform. The end result will be more accurate data and improved overall productivity, she said.

Permanent salaried employees — both staff and faculty — will not report hours worked. They will report leave time used on an electronic form rather than a paper form, Curtis said.

Most hourly permanent employees will enter start and end times each shift, as well as leave time, using an electronic time sheet This will allow the system to process special payments automatically.

Temporary and student workers will use a device to capture start and end times each shift on a desktop computer. Curtis said the process is simple to use even for those with little computer experience. The employee will login and click a button on their computer screen to record start and end times for each shift. These employees can expect to receive their paychecks within one pay period of time worked. Departments can choose to use a badge terminal or a telephone terminal for both employees not exempt from the State Personnel Act (SPA), as well as temporary employees and student employees.

While Curtis said TIM was designed to be efficient from an organizational standpoint, campus officials believe it will be easier on employees as well.

Hourly employees, under the paper system, sometimes had to spend time locating a supervisor to sign their time sheets or leave forms.  Other times, they had to interrupt a supervisor in the middle of a work task to seek a form signature. With the web-based system, that would  no longer be necessary.

Instead of waiting for a quarterly leave report, employees can go online to pinpoint exactly how many hours they have accumulated.

Finance and Payroll Services, Information Technology Services and the Office of the Provost are working together on the project.

Curtis said employees should expect to receive additional information about TIM in the coming months. A website is being developed where employees can review the progress of the project, which is expected to begin later this year on a phased-in basis. The site should be ready by March, she said.

Employee Forum Chair Ernie Patterson, speaking before the Audit and Finance Committee of the University Board of Trustees on Jan. 24, said representatives of the forum had participated in some of the planning for the new system and supported putting in place a modern payroll and benefits tracking system.

“Delegates were especially pleased that the administration chose to maintain its historic trust-based relationship with employees in the selection of the timekeeping method that will become the campus norm,” Patterson said.

BENEFITS OF NEW TIMEKEEPING SYSTEM

Employee benefits of using TIM are:

 Timely processing that will provide up-to-date timesheet totals.

 Eliminating the potential for human errors by automating the complex calculations of payroll hours.

 Eliminating the potential for missing time sheets through the use of electronically handled forms.

 Eliminating time sheet rejections by electronic validation of account numbers.

 Electronic manager approvals, eliminating the need to track people down for signatures.

 One time sheet per pay period.

 Online data storage, ensuring safe and secure
time records and history.

 Online accrual balances that provide an up-to-date balance for each leave balance including compensated time.

 No more missing paychecks due to lost timesheets.

Management benefits of using TIM are:

 Reduce labor hours required to report time worked.

  Secure the time data to a central source.

 Ensure that regular back-ups exist.

 Ensure documented policies are consistently followed.

 Reduce employee relations issues.

 Reduce errors caused by paper tracking.

 Accurate, timely leave available balances online.