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Timesheets

As a manager, you'll review and approve your employees’ timesheets either online or on paper if your employees don't have electronic timesheets.

Paper Timesheets

If you have employees who don't have access to online timesheets or are unable to use online timesheets for any reason, use one of the following forms to record and report their work hours:

Electronic Timesheets

If your employees use electronic timesheets, you can review and approve their timesheets online through UT Direct (EID required).

How to Approve Electronic Timesheets

Approving your employee’s electronic timesheets is simple—you'll just need a few minutes, internet access and your UT EID. Take the following steps to approve electronic timesheets online:

  1. Go to the electronic timesheet system and login with your EID.
  2. Click on the "My Inbox" menu item on the left side of your timesheet page, which will bring up your inbox.
  3. From your inbox, select timesheets to sign and then click the "Select Documents" button. (You could also click the "Select All Documents" button to approve them all, in which case you wouldn't need to mark the box next to the individual timesheets.)
  4. Once you've selected which documents to view and the first time report comes up on your screen, audit the time report.  When approving timesheets one of the most important items to check is that the appointed hours are correct.  If they are not, the timesheet should not be approved.  If the hours appointed are not correct the employee will accrue compensatory/overtime incorrectly.  If the employee is using any leave time it should be verified that the employee has the balance to cover the time.  For each week it should be verified that the hours worked and the hours absent equal the appointed hours.  Please remember that when either emergency or other leave is used additional information is required in the notes of the timesheet.
  5. After auditing a time report, you may sign it by clicking on the "Approve" button, then clicking on "Submit Request". (After approval, the next time report selected will automatically appear.)
  6. If the time report doesn't pass your audit and needs to be corrected, you should click the "Return to Employee" button, indicate why it isn't approved in the note section below, then click the "Submit Request" button to return the timesheet to the employee for corrections. It is a good idea to put your name on the notes when you return a timesheet so that the employee will know who returned it if they have any questions.
  7. If you don't want to approve the timesheet yet and don't want to return it, click the "Skip" button, followed by the "Submit Request" button.   
  8. Once the timesheet receives final approval from the vacation/sick leave maintainer, the balances will be posted in *DEFINE-ET3.
  9. To ensure security, don’t forget to log off of UT direct when you’re finished.

How to Set Up Electronic Timesheets

If you’re taking on new employees, you or someone else in your office will need to set up their timesheets in *DEFINE. You'll need to log in to a *DEFINE desk and view that can access EG1 for your department, and either create a new timesheet group or add the new employee to an existing timesheet group by taking the following steps:

Setting up new timesheet groups in *DEFINE-EG1

  1. Enter *DEFINE and go into command EG1.
  2. On the EG1 screen, type "ADD" in the action field and then press the “Enter” key. (Note: as you do this, make sure that the group function is TIM, and the group type is R.)
  3. Type up to a 15-character name in the group name field. (Remember: this is what the group will be referred to in future applications, so make it something logical.) 
  4. Enter an optional description for this group in the group description field.
  5. Next, define the routing scheme for this group by entering the signers in the contact ID field and typing their role in the role field. Consider the following when designating signers:
    • Identify signers by their UT EIDs.
    • The role for a signer is simply where they are in the timesheet routing path. For example, a timesheet will route to the first signer (S1) first, and then to the second signer (S2). S1 is typically the supervisor, and S2 is the final department timesheet approver or timesheet maintainer.
    • Since all audits for a timesheet have not been automated in the electronic timesheet, it's VERY important that the vacation/sick leave maintainer is a signer, preferably the final signer, for all groups he/she maintains.
  6. After entering the routing scheme for this group, press the “Enter” key.
  7. To add a group member, simply, input the employee's UT EID, and then press the “Enter” key.
  8. If you're adding numerous group members and run out of lines, hold the cursor above the "More Members" icon and press the space bar and then press the “Enter” key.
  9. To create another group, simply repeat steps 2-8 above. To view groups for your unit, press the PF3 key.

Adding new employees to an existing timesheet group

  1. Enter *DEFINE and go into command EG1.
  2. Select the timesheet group within your unit that you want to add the new employee to.
  3. Add the employee's EID to that group, and then press the “Enter” key
  4. If you're adding numerous group members and run out of lines, hold the cursor above the "More Members" icon and press the space bar and then press the “Enter” key.
  5. Before attempting to add an employee to a timesheet group it is recommended to check the ET1 screen to be sure the salary and reporting unit codes have been auto-populated from the appointment.