Timesheets for work are a vital tool for managers in companies. Unfortunately, they can be seen as an inconvenience by some employees. When they already have a busy schedule, completing a timesheet as well as their day-to-day tasks isn’t always at the top of their list of priorities. This can be one of the biggest challenges to time tracking that companies face.

It’s important that everyone in your business completes their timesheets accurately and in a timely manner; otherwise, issues could arise with billing, scheduling, and resourcing further down the line. So how can project managers encourage their staff to complete timesheets for work?

Incentives are a great way to encourage your team members to complete their timesheets without resorting to reprimanding or disciplinary measures. Such encouragement doesn’t need to be costly or complicated, but small rewards, gestures, or favours can transform submitting timesheets from something your employees dreads into something they actually want to do!

Try the below employee incentive reward program tips to encourage the completion of staff timesheets.

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1. Reward Timesheet Streaks

Incentivize time tracking procedures by rewarding timesheet streaks. If your employees can fill in their time data every day for a month, promise them a reward at the end. That could be a round of beers at the bar, pizzas in the office, or a social event of their choosing within a set amount.

The catch? The whole team has to complete daily job responsibilities. If someone lets the side down, nobody gets their reward. This encourages your staff to remind one another to complete their timesheets, and nobody wants to be the reason their teammates miss out.

2. Offer Charitable Giving

Don’t make it all about them; try encouraging your workforce to think altruistically instead. Promise to donate $1 to a charity of their choice for every day your employees complete their time cards. Doing something that benefits something else also benefits the organization as a whole, as everyone has something to feel good about and work towards.

At the end of the month, will you be donating $30 or a paltry $5? That depends on how well they stay on top of their timesheets. The added benefit of this incentive is you can claim it on your tax return.

3. Give Out Coffee Memberships

One thing that unites workers is the need for caffeine. Giving out coffee memberships to those who consistently complete their timesheets at the end of the workday is a surefire way to see those submissions in your inbox!

Hand out membership cards to the whole team, but only top up the ones that have completed their timesheets 100% every week. The others will soon get jealous of those free cappuccinos and start filling theirs out too.

4. Provide Personal Recognition

You don’t have to create a reward system to see improvements. Sometimes simply recognizing those who have completed their timesheets with a simple thank you or a “well done” is enough to motivate your team.

Employees love to know that they’re doing a good job; praise releases the happy hormone dopamine, making the receiver feel good. Showing appreciation for employees, not just for timesheets but in all work, will make your workforce feel valued.

5. Create a Designated Fun Budget

One way employers can encourage the completion of timesheets is by allocating a set fun budget every month and deducting money for every staff member that fails to fill out their timesheets every day. Giving your employees more freedom to choose their own rewards means they’re more incentivized to earn them by completing their timesheets.

If you’re considering setting up a fun account, learn how to budget for employee incentives.

6. Highlight Employees in the Company Newsletter

Acknowledging your employee’s hard work in the company newsletter is one way to show your appreciation. It also demonstrates to the rest of the workforce how timesheet completion is valued at your business and should be imitated.

Of course, you will want to talk about the other great skills and abilities they’re bringing to the company, so remember not to make it all about the employee timesheets!

7. Brag about your Employees on Social Media

Does your company use social media for marketing itself and keeping people updated on its achievements? Then it’s a great opportunity to shout about your staff members too! Why not create an employee spotlight for a team member who you think deserves recognition?

This is a dedicated section of your company’s website where you can really showcase your best workers and all they’re doing for the company. Throwing in a snippet about the employee’s time tracking ethic wouldn’t hurt either. And it illustrates you audiences your supportive and appreciative company culture.

8. Surprise Them with a Personalized Item

Gifting something personalized illustrates that you really appreciate their hard work and have taken the time to recognize it. Whether it’s something simple like a mug with their name on, or adopting an animal in their name, or even having a cake made, it’s the thought that counts.

If the personalized item is material and for the office setting, it can have the employee associating the gift with the feeling of a job well done. This association of a good feeling paired with hard work can result in reinvigorated motivation to keep working hard.

9. Provide Seminars for Teams

Give your team the opportunity to upskill as a reward for completing their timesheets. This is a great incentive as it helps them build relevant skills to your industry, from time management to using new software, making them more valuable members of your staff!

Offering further training and education is also a great way to show your employees you care about their career development, pushing them to get better.

10. Bring their Furry Friends to Work

Easily one of the most fun perks for everyone in the office: allowing your employees to bring their pets to work! A friendly dog in the office will brighten everyone’s day, and it means your employees don’t have to worry about doggy daycare or who’s on walkies duty for a few days.

However, you will want to ensure that no one in your place of work is allergic or fearful of animals before implementing this incentive in the workplace.

11. Team Building Wine Tasting Tour

If you really want to recognize hard work, a wine tasting tour is a brilliant incentive to make your employees feel appreciated. A day trip like this is also an excellent opportunity for your staff to let their hair down and get to know one another better to help create a strong working relationship and sense of team unity.

Throw in a few team building activities, and you have yourself the perfect balance between fun and professional. Part of these company expenses can even be deducted from your business tax returns too!

12. Catered Lunch

Forget boring packed lunches and predictable supermarket sandwiches and give your staff something special with a paid thank you lunch. There are plenty of fantastic catering companies who will bring delicious food directly to your office as a way to show appreciation for your staff and all their consistency for using your time tracking system.

Give Them the Time Tracking Tools to Succeed

All the encouragement in the world won’t help if your business doesn’t have the tools to track time for employees properly. The use of time tracking software can fix all of that. With an intuitive interface and a comprehensive set of features, your business can make it easier for your staff to fill in and submit timesheets on time.

Make the employee timesheet process easier than ever for your business by using QuickBooks Time. Why not try it for free today?

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