Legal Definitions - timesheet

A timesheet is a detailed record of the hours an individual has worked over a specific period. It typically includes information about the tasks performed, projects worked on, and the duration of time spent on each. Timesheets are used for various purposes, such as calculating wages for hourly employees, billing clients for professional services, or tracking progress and resource allocation for projects.

• Imagine a construction worker who is paid an hourly wage. Each day, they fill out a timesheet indicating their start and end times, as well as any breaks taken. This record is then submitted to their supervisor, allowing the company to accurately calculate their pay for the week.

  This example illustrates how a timesheet serves as a fundamental document for tracking an employee's work hours to ensure correct compensation.

• Consider a marketing consultant who works for several different clients on various campaigns. For each client, they meticulously log the time spent on activities like strategy meetings, content creation, or campaign analysis. At the end of the month, these detailed timesheets are used to generate invoices, ensuring clients are billed accurately for the services rendered.

  This example demonstrates how timesheets are crucial in professional service industries for transparently billing clients based on the time dedicated to their projects.

• Think of a research scientist working on multiple long-term experiments within a university lab. Although they are salaried, they use a digital timesheet system to log the hours spent on each specific research project. This data helps the university track funding allocation, assess project progress, and report on grant utilization.

  This example shows how timesheets can be used internally, even for salaried employees, to manage project resources, monitor progress, and ensure accountability for specific initiatives or grants.