Google Sheets is a spreadsheet program obtainable within the Google Workspace, together with different instruments like Google Calendar and Docs. It doubles up as a easy timesheet for companies to log worker work hours.
Google Sheets time monitoring may also help you with challenge administration, monitoring correct billable hours, and different enterprise capabilities.
On this article, we’ll discover learn how to monitor time with Google Sheets, its benefits and downsides. We’ll additionally introduce three alternate options to Google Sheets time monitoring.
What we’ll cowl
Let’s get began.
3 approaches to Google Sheets time monitoring
There are primarily three alternative ways to trace time utilizing Google Sheets:
1. Manually enter time entries
Right here, you enter the clock in and clock out time in two totally different cells in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. You additionally must set the Time knowledge format for the cells with time entries.
To do that, it’s best to:
a. Choose the time columns (for instance, A:A for begin time and B:B for finish time) and click on on the 123 button on the toolbar to entry a drop-down menu.
b. Select the Time format from the drop-down menu.
c. Format the Hours Labored column (for instance, C:C) as Length from the identical drop-down menu.
d. Use the components (B2-A2) to get the primary worth within the Hours Labored column.
2. Use Google Kinds to construct a time tracker
A Google Kind can report when an worker begins and stops working. Along with the timestamps, it has a characteristic so as to add particular notes, worker e mail IDs, and departments.
To do that, it’s essential create questions like Identify, Time in, Day trip, Division, and many others., in Google Kinds. Design a template of your liking utilizing Google Kinds and ask your workers to fill within the info every day.
Your workers can reply the questions and submit the shape. You possibly can then export the info to Google Sheets.
Now, you calculate the Hours Labored utilizing the Google Sheets functionalities as talked about above.
3. Use a Chrome Extension
A number of time monitoring instruments have a Chrome Extension to trace time whereas working utilizing Google Sheets. These instruments could run within the background whereas the worker works on the spreadsheets.
Aside from monitoring the overall hours labored, it’s also possible to use Google Sheets for different functions.
3 different purposes of Google Sheets time monitoring
Let’s take a look on the totally different purposes of Google Sheets in time monitoring:
1. Add breaks whereas monitoring hours
You possibly can embody your break instances within the Google Sheets spreadsheet.
For this, it’s essential:
a. Create a Break Begin and Break Finish columns (for instance, C:C and D:D) and select Time Format for each.
b. Use the components (B2-A2)-(D2-C2) for the Hours Labored column.
This fashion, you could find out the overall time an worker has labored after taking breaks.
2. Discover the shortest and longest period of time labored
Google Sheets has a built-in operate to seek out the minimal and most hours labored.
To set the operate:
a. Set the components: =Min(Hours Labored Column) within the Minimal Hours Labored column.
b. Equally, assign the components = Max(Hours Labored Column) within the Most Hours Labored column.
Following the above steps may also help you notice workers who’re overworking or not assembly the minimal working hours requirement.
3. Calculate the overall hours labored
The overall hours labored can present you the way lengthy the workers of your group labored throughout a selected time interval.
To find out this, it’s essential:
a. Create a Complete Hours Labored column and insert a components =SUM(Hours Labored column)
Now that we all know learn how to monitor time with Google Spreadsheet, let’s take a look at its differing types.
4 several types of timesheets in Google Sheets
Listed below are just a few forms of Google Sheet spreadsheets for all enterprise wants:
1. Every day timesheet
Every day worker timesheet permits you to report the hours labored by an worker, freelancer, or contractor in a day. Companies that want to trace their worker schedule on daily basis can use a every day timesheet.
2. Weekly timesheet
Weekly timesheets are greatest for companies that wish to see how an worker, freelancer, or contractor spends their time in per week. You can even see their productiveness stage throughout per week and assess efficiency throughout quick intervals.
3. Biweekly timesheet
A biweekly timesheet information the time entries of single and a number of workers for 2 weeks. With this timesheet, it’s essential generate paychecks solely twice a month.
4. Month-to-month timesheet
A month-to-month timesheet tracks the work performed by salaried workers and freelancers on daily basis for a month. The timesheet contains the working and extra time hours of every worker in a day and different particulars.
Try just a few free timesheet templates obtainable for Google Sheets.
All these Google timesheets, regardless of kind, give you a set of advantages. Let’s take a look at them.
4 benefits of Google Sheets time monitoring
Among the advantages of time monitoring with Google Sheets embody:
1. No coaching required
Google Sheets is simple to function as a result of its easy capabilities and intuitive interface.
Furthermore, being just like Microsoft Excel, your workers can rapidly determine learn how to use it.
For instance, you might have to show your workers to function the Add-on characteristic in Google Spreadsheets. However generally, you received’t have to clarify learn how to add rows or columns or use formulation within the app — particularly if the worker is aware of Excel.
2. Accessible
Google Sheets is a cloud-based answer. It may be accessed by your workers from wherever so long as they’ve a robust web connection.
Moreover, on-field employees can simply clock out and in from their Google Sheets app on their cell phones as they transfer from one location to a different.
Furthermore, Google Sheets additionally helps improve workforce flexibility by enabling distant work. Distant workers can log out and in from their most well-liked work places utilizing this cloud-based spreadsheet.
3. Excessive compatibility with different apps
Google Sheets integrates with different apps like Trello, Slack, Clockify, and many others., through an API.
This performance lets your workers monitor time whereas engaged on their challenge from Trello or different options. Additional, superior time monitoring instruments monitor time seamlessly with out interrupting work.
Google Sheets additionally works with Google Docs, Calendar, PowerPoint, and different Google apps for straightforward collaboration and fast knowledge linking.
In addition to, you possibly can prolong Google Sheets utilizing App Scripts. You possibly can add customized menus, sidebars, dialogs, and extra to the spreadsheet with it.
4. Free app
Google Sheets is a free answer.
You don’t should pay for a month-to-month subscription or buy it.
Nevertheless, you might have to purchase further house in your Google Drive to retailer the spreadsheets after utilizing the utmost free cupboard space.
Google Sheets additionally offers quite a lot of free or add-on templates. A couple of of them are the weekly timesheet template, month-to-month price range template, bill template, and Gantt chart template.
Though Google Sheets time monitoring has its advantages, it has its set of disadvantages.
4 disadvantages of Google Sheets time monitoring
Among the limitations of Google Sheets time monitoring are:
1. Time consuming
Your workers could must manually enter the beginning and finish time in case your agency makes use of Google Sheets, which might be time-consuming.
In addition to, workers additionally must manually word the beginning and finish instances for lunch breaks, conferences, and many others., which can take up much more time.
2. Tough to handle
Managing Google Sheets can develop into troublesome as your organization grows. Supervisors could discover it tedious to prepare, find, and retailer them.
Along with that, they could should manually calculate common hours, extra time hours, and whole hours labored every day.
3. Susceptible to error
Although Google Sheets permits utilizing superior formulation, workers nonetheless must enter their every day log out and in instances, attendance standing, and many others. Such guide recording is liable to errors.
Moreover, workers who postpone filling in time information could overlook their instances and insert improper knowledge, resulting in overestimating the time labored. It might considerably improve your prices, particularly for workers who cost on a per-hour foundation.
Recognizing these errors within the Google Sheets timesheets can develop into fairly hectic.
4. Restricted scalability
Though you possibly can configure Google Sheets to trace time, it isn’t designed to try this. And it lacks many options {that a} devoted time monitoring software affords.
These drawbacks hold corporations from scaling up as it would add extra work for workers. It could additionally improve their probabilities of error and reduce job satisfaction.
That’s why it’s essential think about alternate options to Google Sheets time monitoring.
As we speak, there are a number of instruments with state-of-the-art time monitoring performance and different options that fulfill the varied wants of several types of companies.
3 fashionable alternate options to Google Sheets time monitoring
Listed below are three well-known alternate options to Google Sheets time monitoring:
1. Time Physician
Time Physician is AI-powered workforce analytics software program that mixes worker monitoring and time monitoring to rework on a regular basis work knowledge into clear, actionable insights.
Key options
Let’s take a look at just a few of the Time Physician’s principal options:
A. Chrome extensions and integrations
Time Physician has a Chrome extension that integrates with over 60 software program, together with Google Sheets.
To make use of the Google Sheets integration, it’s essential:
- Set up the Time Physician desktop app and Chrome extension.
- Click on on the timer button on the highest of the Google Sheet to trace time.
The opposite integrations of the software are:
You can even use Time Physician’s cellular timesheet app that works on Android units.
B. Computerized and interactive time monitoring
Time Physician affords an computerized time tracker that information the worker hours within the background whereas they work. This computerized characteristic lets workers focus on their work by not distracting them with a timer.
The software begins and stops the time monitoring when the worker switches the system on and off.
As well as, Time Physician additionally has an interactive time monitoring characteristic. Right here, the worker can manually Begin and Cease the software’s timer once they begin and cease working.
C. Idle time monitoring
Time Physician tracks the idle time of an worker based mostly on their system’s exercise.
When the system doesn’t present any keystrokes or mouse actions, it assumes the worker is idle and tracks idle time. As soon as the worker reaches the time restrict for idleness (which you’ll set), the software reveals a pop-up alerting the worker to give attention to their job.
If the worker doesn’t reply a minute after exhibiting the pop-up, the tracker robotically stops monitoring time.
Be aware: Time Physician doesn’t log the keystrokes or mouse clicks for privateness safety. It solely tracks whether or not the consumer presses keys or makes mouse clicks.
D. Productiveness scores
Time Physician permits you to classify web sites and purposes based mostly on how related they’re to work:
- Productive
- Unproductive
- Impartial
- Unrated
This characteristic will present you when an worker spends time on an internet site or app categorized as ‘Unproductive.’ It additionally alerts the worker with a pop-up and nudges them to return to a productive web page.
E. Screencasts
You should utilize Time Physician to take screencasts of the worker’s screens once they’re working. Additional, you possibly can schedule the software program to click on screenshots at particular intervals.
Be aware: Workers can blur or delete a screenshot that comprises private info.
F. Payroll administration
Along with monitoring worker work hours precisely, Time Physician additionally helps with payroll era. The software program integrates with Paypal, Gusto, ADP, and Sensible with the intention to pay workers rapidly and safely.
Pricing
Time Physician affords a free 14-day trial plan (no bank card required).
Its primary plan begins at $6.70 per consumer/month and affords time monitoring, limitless screenshots, exercise monitoring, and way more.
Buyer scores
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (540+ opinions)
- G2: 4.4/5 (400+ opinions)
2. Toggl Monitor
Toggl Monitor is a time monitoring software designed for companies of all sizes, from freelancers to giant enterprises. You possibly can entry this software from its web site, desktop, or cellular app.
Key options
- Customise weekly worker reviews and ship them to shoppers in PDF or CSV codecs.
- Robotically hold monitor of the web sites or apps workers use for greater than 10 seconds.
- Begin and finish time monitoring based mostly on the occasions in your Google Calendar or Outlook.
- Permits you to automate sending emails to workers who haven’t accomplished their goal hours.
Pricing
Together with a free plan, Toggl Monitor affords a paid plan beginning at $10 per consumer/month.
Buyer scores
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (2500+ opinions)
- G2: 4.6/5 (1500+ opinions)
3. Everhour
Everhour goals to assist small and mid-sized corporations arrange their work by monitoring working hours. It additionally affords options like budgeting, shopper invoicing, and simple payroll.
Key options
- Lets workers report time in real-time from iPhone and browser extensions.
- Provides notifications to begin the tracker whereas working and likewise on long-running timers.
- Robotically switch time knowledge to greater than 1000 purposes utilizing its Zapier integration.
- Tracks time offs, holidays, sick days, and different forms of leaves.
Pricing
Everhour’s cloud answer plans begin at $8.50/consumer per 30 days for 5 customers.
Buyer scores
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (430+ opinions)
- G2: 4.7/5 (170+ opinions)
Wrapping up
Though Google Sheets time monitoring has its benefits, it’s nonetheless error-prone, time-consuming, and troublesome to handle. That’s why companies want to think about superior time monitoring software program to assist with time monitoring.
A devoted time tracker, like Time Physician, has cutting-edge know-how, a customizable timesheet template, and different options that assist report worker billable hours effortlessly.
Why not join Time Physician’s free trial as we speak and simplify the way in which you monitor time?
Regularly requested questions (FAQs)
Sure. Google Sheets might be arrange as a timesheet by getting into clock-in and clock-out instances, calculating whole hours labored with formulation, or utilizing templates. Nevertheless, it requires guide setup and ongoing administration.
It really works nicely for small groups or freelancers who want a free, easy possibility. However for bigger groups or corporations needing automation, error discount, and payroll integrations, a devoted time monitoring software is a better option.
It is dependent upon your wants:
• Every day timesheet → good for contractors/freelancers.
• Weekly timesheet → good for small groups.
• Biweekly or month-to-month timesheet → higher for payroll and salaried workers.
You possibly can join Google Sheets to Google Kinds, use formulation to calculate hours, or set up Chrome extensions that combine with time monitoring software program. For full automation, devoted instruments like Time Physician are more practical.
The primary points are:
• Guide entries are time-consuming.
• Increased danger of human error.
• Tough to scale for giant groups.
• Lacks superior options like idle time monitoring, productiveness reviews, and payroll integration.
Sure, however you’ll want so as to add customized formulation or create an extra time column. For instance, you possibly can set a normal 8-hour workday and use formulation to calculate any further hours. This course of can get difficult as your workforce grows.
Google Sheets has normal Google Workspace safety, together with encryption and entry controls. Nevertheless, since timesheets typically comprise delicate payroll knowledge, companies may have stronger compliance options (HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR) that devoted time monitoring software program gives.
Google Sheets can work as a easy answer for freelancers or very small groups. Nevertheless, it isn’t constructed for bigger companies because it lacks automation, superior reporting, and payroll integrations. Most corporations use it solely as a brief or backup possibility earlier than switching to devoted instruments
Carlo Borja is the Content material Advertising Supervisor of Time Physician, a workforce analytics software program for distributed groups. He’s a distant work advocate, a father and an avid espresso drinker.
