A. Proper Use of Timesheets and Timecards

Formal attendance records must be maintained for each employee. These can be timesheets, timecards, or time records in the Kronos timekeeping system. If a time card machine is used, it must be placed in a location where it can be monitored for abuse.

Employees must not complete the timesheet based on their planned work schedule. Non-exempt employees should record the actual time worked and actual time absent on the timesheet. Exempt employees should record actual time absent on the timesheet. Employees should not be allowed to record sick or annual leave on the timesheet if it has not been earned yet. If an exempt employee or monthly non-exempt employee has no leave for the month, a timesheet should still be signed and approved. Time worked and absences should be documented by the employee when they occur and not be saved up until the end of the pay period.

For departments using time clocks, a supervisor must approve and sign the timecard for any missed punch where the employee forgets to clock in or out. Additionally, an employee cannot clock in or out for another employee.

 

B. Timesheet and Timecard Approvals and Retention

The employee must sign and date the Timesheet or Timecard at the end of each pay period. The departmental approver must also sign and date each Timesheet or Timecard at the end of each pay period. This approver should have knowledge of the actual time worked and absences taken by the employee. If a change is made to the Timesheet or Timecard after it has been signed by the approver, the employee must initial the change and the change must be approved again.

The department is the “office of record” for the Timesheets and Timecards and must retain these for a period of three years.

 

C. IRIS Entry

A “timekeeper” should enter hours into IRIS using the ZCAT transaction. Documentation for time entry can be found in the training materials on the IRIS web site. The timekeeper should use the Timesheet or Timecard as the source document. Preferably, the timekeeper should not enter his or her own time into IRIS. If the timekeeper’s immediate supervisor is the IRIS approver, it is acceptable to enter his or her own time.

Some areas of the university have installed Kronos for the entry of time for biweekly paid employees. These hours are transmitted into IRIS after approval in Kronos and no additional entry in ZCAT is required.

 

D. IRIS Approval

Once time entries have been released by the timekeeper, the workflow system will create a notification to be sent to to the approver letting him or her know that there are time entries requiring approval. The notifications are sent daily at 4:30 P.M. with additional notifications on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:00 A.M and at noon. The approver may also use the ZCAP transaction at any time, which is convenient if the time has been entered but the workflow notifications have not yet been entered.

The approver should review the physical timesheets and timecards as he or she is approving the hours entered in ZCAT. The approver should have a formal substitute approver who meets the requirements of Policy FI0150 and who is able to sign into IRIS. The approver should never share his or her password with anyone else.