The job of a staffing firm doesn’t end with hiring against job orders. As a staffing firm, you will be taking care of your client’s workers once they are placed, and ensuring that they are looked after will help retain your best candidates . An efficient timekeeping solution can ensure that employees you hired for your clients aren’t underpaid or overpaid, which is vital as they rely on its accuracy for their income. The timesheet solution will also ensure that there all relevant compliance is adhered to, avoiding the risk of penalties or complaints. For these reasons the needs of staffing and recruiting firms are unique when it comes to timesheet solutions. Here we have listed the must-have features for any timesheet solution to help staffing firms choose the right one for their business.

Easy Entry and Corrections

Your timesheet solution has to be really simple for any user to add their time and expense, with minimal user interaction or navigation. The solution needs to be fully accessible from mobile devices since most of the people using the solution are usually on the move.  Ideally, the time booked should be populated by default so the candidate just has to approve or amend, reducing the risk of human error.

Even corrections need to be easy and simple, so look for a solution that allows users to just find the timesheet and make the necessary corrections. The solution needs to maintain a full audit trail as well for reconciliation purposes.

The system should also prevent common errors, such as entering 80 hours instead of 8, again to reduce the incidence of refused approvals and corrections.

Configurable Approval System

Managers should receive an email every time a timesheet is submitted for approval, or be able to choose daily consolidated updates for larger volumes. This way they are prompted automatically for approvals. Once they login to the portal they should easily be able to approve or reject the timesheets for a specific period with just a click, and add notes where needed.

Staffing firms have varied approval needs depending on the size of the workforce, hierarchy, etc. Hence, a configurable approval system is a must-have.  For example, a firm with a large workforce will have several approvers at various levels. The timesheet solution should be configurable to meet their needs and ensure automated and seamless routing at each stage. 

Integrated Expense Management

The timesheet solution should support adding attachments as well to ease the approval process for reimbursement and client billings. Look for software that supports users submitting reimbursement requests for their regular commute and other expenses. They should be able to upload expense attachments which can then be approved for processing, and/or take photos directly from their mobile device.

Integration with Payroll Systems

If the timesheet solution doesn’t integrate with payroll and accounting systems it is likely that there will be a significant manual rekeying overhead, which adds cost and risk. You should look for software where files can be created in any format for integration with any third-party payroll solutions. This way hours worked can be imported from time and attendance solutions and processed easily. 

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TargetRecruit now has a new and improved Middle Office Solution. It acts as the command center for timesheets, pay, and bill. It bridges the gap between the front office and the back office payroll and accounting systems and offers a single source of truth. Learn more.