The following is a message from Business Services:

Last March when we went into Stay Home mode, we heard from employees that paper timesheets were a barrier to timely compensation. In response, we developed a PDF submittal system in May and June. This system turned out to be frustrating because staff must save the blank form to their computer desktop and then fill it in, then re-save it, then attach it to an email. 

Therefore, for the last few months the payroll and business team, and a small design team, have been working on creating an electronic timesheet. The electronic timesheet is intended to mirror the cells of a paper form. 

• Paper timesheets are replaced with an electronic system that forwards the electronic timesheet from the employee to the supervisor to the Payroll Office.
• The timesheet will automatically fill in the employee name and building once they have signed into the system.
• When the employee hits submit, the form will automatically notify their supervisor.
• Supervisors can sign these forms electronically; notification that they have a form to sign is sent to their email. (1 email per day maximum, regardless of the number and type of forms a supervisor receives in a day.)
• Supervisors control the budget code that time is charged to.
• The form is never printed/mailed, therefore we avoid the frequent occurrence that forms are lost and never arrive to the Payroll Office.

The prototype is now ready, and so it is time to begin testing the prototype. Testing involves submitting fake timesheets for multiple batches for multiple time scenarios. Our best chances of catching any glitches are if many staff submit their timesheets using realistic scenarios. We need testers! The testing window is November 1 to November 25.

If you are willing to test the system by entering fake timesheets, we welcome your involvement. Please click here and fill out the ETRS Volunteer Survey. We will contact you and set you up for testing.

Please note, after November 25, all of the timesheets you entered will be deleted. No compensation will be paid off of these timesheets. If you volunteer to test the system, please remember that this is a test-only prototype. Therefore, if you have actual time to be paid for time worked during the testing period, you will still need to fill out a paper timesheet or PDF fillable timesheet and forward the approved timesheet to the Payroll Office.

We are optimistic that this system can be available for staff to use beginning December 1. If so, we will offer all three methods for submitting timesheets beginning December 1: paper, fillable PDF, and electronic timesheets.

Thank you to our design team and developers for their many hours of effort to create this system! (The design team included: Christa Hilinski, Wendy Rae, Margie Jenne, Valerie Steplight, Cheryl Baker, Rachel Beard, Betsy Durant, Mimi Peradotto, Angela Nadeau, Aaron Davis, Curtis Cleveringa, Matt Grant, Darlene Fuller, Gretchen Maliska, Julie Shanafelt, Suzanne Bowser, Sam Logan and Dave Eilers. Thank you all!)