Approve Timesheets Form

Access this page using Manager>Approve Timesheets.

Use this page to approve active employee time and expense entries if you are a manager and have Manager timesheet permissions in the HR Management module. An active employee time entry is an employee time entry that has not yet been processed by the HR Management module. An active expense entry is an expense entry that has not yet been processed by the HR Management module. Once the HR Management module processes time and expense entries, the time and expense entries are no longer active and no longer display in the Approve Timesheets page.

Note: If you do not see the Manager>Approve Timesheets option in EWS, you do not have Manager timesheet permissions specified for your employee ID in the HR Management module. Only employee IDs that have Manager timesheet permissions specified in the HR Management module can approve employee time and expense entries using EWS. For more information about Manager timesheet permissions, see Understanding Permissions.

This page displays a list of employees and allows managers to quickly see approved and unapproved hours and expenses by employee for the pay period. Managers see only the time and expense entries for the employees they manage on this list. Employee/manager relationships are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying managers for employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.

Note: If using HR Notifications, you may receive an email every time your employee submits their timesheets. For more information about HR Notifications, see the HR ManagementOnline Help.

This page displays information in three tables.

The first table on the page displays summary time information for employees. For example, you can see a list of the employee you manage and a summary of approved and unapproved work hours and approved and unapproved leave hours for each employee.

The second table on the page displays detailed time and expense information for a selected employee. When you click on a field in an employee row on the first table, EWS refreshes the page, displays the selected row in the first table in yellow, and displays a second table below the first table that shows the current time and expense entries for the employee for the pay period. In this second table, you can perform the following actions:

• You can select a check box in the Approve column to approve an employee time or expense entry. If you click the box in the table heading next to the Approve column heading, all of the check boxes in the Approve column are automatically selected.

  Important! You should only use the Approve All feature if you are certain that the timesheets are accurate and correct. MIP recommends you approve single timesheets to prevent errors.

• If the entry is a time entry, you can make edits to the Work Date, Cost Center, Earn Code, Leave Code, Hours, Leave, Leave Hrs, and Description fields.
• If the entry is an expense entry, you can make edits to the Work Date, Cost Center, Earn Code, Leave Code, Hours, Leave, Leave Hrs, and Description fields. You cannot make edits to the Earn Code, Units, Rate, or Amount fields.
• You can add a time or expense entry for an employee by clicking on the Add button.

If an employee entered time using a Hourly Time Entry or Clock In/Out Time Entry page, you can also view and edit clock time entries using this table. Hourly Time Entry and Clock In/Out Time Entry forms display clock time entries in this table with a plus sign icon   to the left of the time entry. To view and edit clock time entries, click the plus sign icon on the left of the time entry. EWS displays the clock time entry information immediately below the row, and you can make edits to the Clock In, Lunch Out, Lunch In, and Clock Out fields as needed, as well as break times as needed if employees entered break times using a Clock In/Out Time Entry page.

After making any required edits to the employee time or expense entry or approving the time or expense entry, click the Save button to save your changes. When you click the Save button, the page refreshes again and shows updated time and expense information in the second table and updated summary information in the first table.

The third table on the page displays leave information for the selected employee. You can use the leave information displayed in this table to view leave balances, such as sick time and vacation time balances, before approving leave time for an employee. You can see the leave codes currently specified for the employee ID, the employee's current leave balance, any leave that has already been approved for the employee for the pay period, as well as what the employees ending leave balance will be for the pay period.

You can filter the data displayed on the Approve Timesheets page by clicking on the filter icon displayed in each column heading and then clicking on the filter you want to use. When you click on a filter, the filter criteria associated with the filter displays the data that meets the filter you selected and hides data that does not meet the filter criteria.

You can sort the data displayed on the Approve Timesheets page by last name in alphabetical ascending or descending order by clicking on the up arrow icon or down arrow icon displayed in the Name column. For example, if an up arrow icon displays, employee timesheets display sorted by last name in descending order from A to Z. If you click on the up arrow icon and a down arrow icon then displays, employee time entries display sorted by last name in ascending order from Z to A.

If the EWS system configuration specifies Approver Edit permissions for managers, managers can change employee time and expense entries before approving an employee time or expense entry. For example, managers with Approver Edit timesheet permissions can change the work date, cost center, earnings code, leave code, work hours, leave hours, and clock times for employee time entries before approving time entries.

If the EWS system configuration does not specify Approve Edit permissions for managers, managers can only approve time and expense entries. They cannot edit employee time and expense information. If a manager wants to change any employee time or expense information before approving the entry, the manager must send a message to the employee requesting that the employee make the required changes to the time or expense entry before the manager approves it.

For more information about specifying Approver Edit timesheet permissions for managers, see System Configuration.

Note: If a Manager changes the main record (cost center, earning code) but not the time punch for a submitted timesheet, the employee will get a message letting them know that it has changed and needs to be re-submitted. At this time, if the Manager changes the time punch, the employee will still need to re-submit their timesheet, but they will not receive a message.

Fields 

Show Unpaid Breaks: Select this check box if you want to show unpaid break time clock in and clock out times when viewing time entries.

Table 1

• Employee ID: The system displays the employee ID for the employee. Managers cannot edit this field. The employee ID for an employee is specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.
• Name: The system displays the name of the employee. Managers cannot edit this field.
• Process Group: The system displays the payroll process group assigned to the employee ID. Managers cannot edit this field. The payroll process group for the employee is specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying a payroll process group for an employee, see the HR Management module online help.
• Class: The system displays the class assigned to the employee. Managers cannot edit this field. Employee classes are specified in the Payroll module and then mapped to the employee in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying class for an employee, see the Payroll module or HR Management module online help.
• Employee Type: The system displays the employee type assigned to the employee, such as Regular Full Time (RFT) or Regular Part Time (RPT). Managers cannot edit this field. Employee types are specified for employees in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying a type for an employee, see the HR Management module online help.
• Appr Hrs: The system displays the number of approved work hours for the employee for the pay period. Managers cannot edit this field. EWS automatically updates this field as managers approve time entries using the fields in the second table on this page.
• UnAppr Hrs: The system displays the number of unapproved work hours for the employee for the pay period. Managers cannot edit this field. EWS automatically updates this field as managers approve time entries using the fields in the second table on this page.
• Appr Leave: The system displays the number of approved leave hours for the employee for the pay period. Managers cannot edit this field. EWS automatically updates this field as managers approve leave using the fields in the second table on this page.
• UnAppr Leave: The system displays the number of unapproved leave hours for the employee for the pay period. Managers cannot edit this field. EWS automatically updates this field as managers approve leave using the fields in the second table on this page.
• Mgr Level: The system displays the manager's relationship to the employee. Managers cannot edit this field. Employee/manager relationships are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying managers for employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.

Table 2

• Approved: Shows if the time or expense entry is approved or unapproved. Managers can approve a time or expense entry by selecting this check box. If the check box is selected, the employee time or expense entry has been approved. If the check box is not selected, the time or expense entry is unapproved.
• Work Date: The system displays the day of the week and date, for the time or expense entry. Managers can change the date specified for a time or expense entry by clicking in the Work Date field and then selecting a new date from the drop-down list.
• Cost Center: The system displays the cost center specified for the time or expense entry. Managers can change the cost center specified for a time or expense entry by clicking in the Cost Center field and then selecting a new cost center from the drop-down list. Cost centers for employee IDs are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying cost centers for employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.
• Earn Code: The system displays the earnings code specified for the time or expense entry. Managers can change the earnings code specified for a time or expense entry by clicking in the Earn Code field and then selecting a new earnings code from the drop-down list. Earnings codes for employee IDs are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying earnings codes for employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.
• Leave Code: The system displays the leave code specified for any entered leave. Managers can change the leave code specified for a leave entry by clicking in the Leave Code field and then selecting a new leave code from the drop-down list. Leave codes for employee IDs are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying leave codes for employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.
• Hours: The system displays the number of work hours worked for the time entry. Managers can change the work hours specified in an Hourly Time Entry or Clock In/Out Time Entry by typing new numbers in the Clock In, Lunch Out, Lunch In, and Clock Out fields. Managers can change the work hours specified in a Clock In/Out Time Entry page by clicking on the Hours field and then typing a new number in the field.
• Rate: The system displays the mileage rate for the expense entry if the expense entry is a mileage expense. Managers cannot edit this field. Mileage rates are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying mileage rates, see the HR Management module online help.
• Leave: Shows if the time entry is a leave entry. Managers can specify a time entry as a leave entry by selecting this check box. If the check box is selected, the time entry is a leave entry. If the check box is cleared, the time entry is not a leave entry.
• Leave Hrs: The system displays the number of leave hours for the time entry. Managers can change the leave hours specified for a time entry by clicking in the Leave Hrs field and then typing a new number in the field.
• Expense: The system displays the amount of the expense. Managers can change the Amount by clicking in the field and typing a new entry.
• Units: The system displays the miles for the expense entry if the expense entry is a mileage expense. Managers can change the miles specified for an expense entry by clicking in the Units field and then typing a new number in the field.
• Amount: The system displays the amount of the expense. Managers can change the Amount by clicking in the field and typing a new entry.
• Submitted: The system indicates whether the employee has submitted the timesheet for approval. If the Require employees to submit timesheets option is set for the system, this box must be checked before the approver can approve the timesheet.

  Note: If the manager edits the timesheet, the employee must review and resubmit it before it can be approved.

• Description: The system displays the description that the employee specified for the time entry. Managers can change the description specified for a time entry by clicking in the Description field and then typing a new description in the field.
• Time In: The system displays the time the employee clocked in for the day. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used an Hourly Time Entry or Clock In/Out Time Entry page when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Hourly Time Entry, Clock In/Out Time Entry, Entering Time Into Hourly Time Entry, and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Break 1 Out: The system displays the time the employee clocked out when leaving for their first break. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used a Clock In/Out Time Entry Form when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Clock In/Out Time Entry and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Break 1 In: The system displays the time the employee clocked in when returning from their first break. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used a Clock In/Out Time Entry Form when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Clock In/Out Time Entry and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Lunch Out: The system displays the time the employee clocked out for lunch. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used an Hourly Time Entry or Clock In/Out Time Entry page when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Hourly Time Entry, Clock In/Out Time Entry, Entering Time Into Hourly Time Entry, and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Lunch In: The system displays the time the employee clocked in when returning from lunch. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used an Hourly Time Entry or Clock In/Out Time Entry page when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Hourly Time Entry, Clock In/Out Time Entry, Entering Time Into Hourly Time Entry, and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Break 2 Out: The system displays the time the employee clocked out when leaving for their second break. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used a Clock In/Out Time Entry page when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Clock In/Out Time Entry and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Break 2 In: The system displays the time the employee clocked in when returning from their second break. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used a Clock In/Out Time Entry Form when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Clock In/Out Time Entry and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.
• Time Out: The system displays the time the employee clocked out for the day. Managers can edit this field. When a manager edits this field, EWS automatically updates the total hours for the time entry based on the new time specified. This field displays only if the employee used an Hourly Time Entry or Clock In/Out Time Entry page when entering time. If an employee used the Clock In/Out Time Entry page, to enter the time, EWS calculates the punch clock time based on the local system time of the server where EWS is installed, not on the local time where the employee works. For more information, see Hourly Time Entry, Clock In/Out Time Entry, Entering Time Into Hourly Time Entry, and Entering Time Into Clock In/Out Time Entry.

Table 3

• Leave Code: The system displays the leave codes specified for the selected employee. Leave codes are specified for employee IDs in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying leave codes for employee IDs, see the HR Management module online help.
• Title: The system displays the title of the leave code. Leave code titles are specified in the HR Management module. For more information about specifying leave code titles, see the HR Management module online help.
• History: The system displays the current leave balance for the employee as of the last processed payroll.
• Approved: The system displays the number of approved leave hours for the employee for the pay period.
• Ending: The system displays the proposed leave balance for the employee.

Buttons 

Add: Click this button if you want to add an additional time entry for an employee.

Edit: Click this button to edit a pending timesheet entry.

Cancel: Click this button to cancel any changes to timesheets.

Delete: Click this button to delete a timesheet entry.

Save: Click this button to save any edits you make to employee timesheets, including timesheet approvals.

Tip: Before an employee clocks out, you can also edit employee time punches using the Edit Time Punches page. For more information, see Edit Time Punches and Editing Employee Time Punches. After an employee clocks out, you must use the Approve Timesheets form to change the time punches.