Advice for mistake made at my job

[saraha]

I do the books for a small business, and part of my job is to calculate the hours employees have worked and turn in to our payroll service.  I do the calculations and make 3 copies, one for my records, one for my boss, and one for payroll.  Friday my boss called me and left a voicemail saying an employee complained that her check wasn't right, so she went through the time cards and it was off, by A LOT.  So she went through the time cards for everyone and found 2 OTHER paychecks that were off by 1 hour each.  I didn't see this voicemail until after the boss left for the day (I work from home mostly) but called her and left her a voicemail saying I would look into it and get back to her this morning. 

 

Now, this isn't like me, but I am new to this job and people don't really know me.  It is a very small business, with only 8 employees, which only makes my mistake look worse.  I have no idea what I was thinking, the two 1 hour mistakes were simple math errors, and the other I can only guess that I started with one line of numbers and somehow jumped to another line. 

 

I am the one who started giving out copies of my payroll worksheets when I began this job, the previous treasurer didn't do that, so that everyone could see what I was turning in, and in case there was a problem like this. But, like I said, since I am new, and I made 3 mistakes in one week,  I am afraid of what people think. 

 

I guess what I need advice on is what to do from here.  With it being the holiday, I won't be able to reimburse the girls or talk to my boss until Tuesday, which is FOREVER from  now, and what makes it worse is that these girls make minimum wage, so I am sure they need every penny they have coming to them right now.  I guess I also need talked down from the ledge too!

 

I plan to go back through all of the time cards beginning when I took over the position in March, so that on Tuesday I can tell my boss that not only did I double check the current, I also went back and double checked all of the past, but what else do I say?  Should I write each of the girls a note?  How do I make this better?!?  No one is going to trust me anymore.  I want to be proactive and absolutely take responsibility for my mistakes, but I also know that my tendency when I am upset or nervous is to throw too many words at the situation, and the not having actually talked to my boss is making me crazy!  So while my family are all out at the lake having fun with their cousins, I am here trying to fix this mess.  Ok, now I am just devolving... anyway, help!

[Mergath]

It sounds like you need a plan to make sure this doesn't happen again. Triple-checking your math or something. (It's hard to give more specific advice for how to do that without knowing more about your methods.) I would apologize to the people whose pay was messed up next time you see them and present a written plan to your boss that lays out how you'll keep this from happening again. 

[Laura Corin]

I would spend the weekend working out specific procedures that will prevent it happening again. Then go in on Tuesday acknowledge fault, take responsibility, and explain the new procedures. I would apologise sincerely and briefly to the specific employees. Then never mention it again.

[QueenCat]

I would not write anything to the other employees at this point. That could go badly for you to start something like. Double check everything on Tuesday and talk to your boss.

[saraha]

 I won't see 2 of the employees, should I write an apology note to accompany their checks?  Up until now, the treasurer had sole responsibility for checks, meaning that no one really looked over their shoulder until someone noticed a problem, like Friday.   I was the one who started making the extra copy for my boss, so she could check my work, but she never did so I would just submit payroll when it was time.  I don't really feel like I can say "Hey, maybe you should be double checking my work..." so I don't know what else to suggest.  I will obviously be triple checking from now on, but that just sounds lame to say "Yeah, sorry about that, from now on I will be TRIPLE checking my math." Agh.

 

[Guest]

I've been in this position before, both with billing and with paying contractors. I was mortified when it was caught and not my me, but rather by a contract. In my case it was an incorrect rate that was used, and from there the formula went bad- we used excel back then for a lot of things billing because Quicken couldn't handle it (this was a long time ago). Anyway, here is what I did. First I apologized profusely, and honestly to my boss. Then I apologized profusely to the people affected. Part of it for me was being completely overwhelmed as it was a small part of my job, but a big consumer of my time. My boss ended up letting me hire an assistant who was my second set of eyes and started helping me with things like expense report (we were a small start up, so everyone juggled lots of hats at the time.) If you can't hire an assistant, is there someone you can have be your second set of eyes (even if it's dh or maybe you have a teen?) Sometimes no matter how many times you double check you still miss it because you've stared at it so much it just slides right past you.

[idnib]

You'll be okay.  :grouphug:

 

I agree with spending some time developing new procedures and going back to triple-check all the old ones. Explain that on Tuesday.

 

I wouldn't write a note today or tomorrow while you are upset, and if you decide to write a note, keep it very simple, with no explanations or excuses, just an apology. "I'm so sorry this happened, and I've taken steps to ensure it won't happen again."

 

Your boss must have your phone number, right? If she really needed to talk to you this weekend, she would call. Just get your procedures done and try not to think about it too much for the rest of the weekend.

Edited July 2, 2016 by idnib

[saraha]

I've been in this position before, both with billing and with paying contractors. I was mortified when it was caught and not my me, but rather by a contract. In my case it was an incorrect rate that was used, and from there the formula went bad- we used excel back then for a lot of things billing because Quicken couldn't handle it (this was a long time ago). Anyway, here is what I did. First I apologized profusely, and honestly to my boss. Then I apologized profusely to the people affected. Part of it for me was being completely overwhelmed as it was a small part of my job, but a big consumer of my time. My boss ended up letting me hire an assistant who was my second set of eyes and started helping me with things like expense report (we were a small start up, so everyone juggled lots of hats at the time.) If you can't hire an assistant, is there someone you can have be your second set of eyes (even if it's dh or maybe you have a teen?) Sometimes no matter how many times you double check you still miss it because you've stared at it so much it just slides right past you.

 

This is exactly me; mortified, working for a small company so I do varied kinds of jobs of which this is one.  We don't have any kind of system.  The girls literally hand write their in and out time every day on a piece of paper hanging on the bulletin board, then I figure up their hours worked and turn it into the payroll company we use.  Other than my actual boss, I don't know who else would double check from work.  I like the idea of having my dh double check for me, but that sounds less than professional to tell her that. 

Did everything turn out ok?  Did people go back to thinking you were reliable?

[lauraw4321]

How does time get turned into you? Manual time cards?

 

To be proactive, I would try to figure out an inexpensive and efficient system that reduces the possibility of human error. So if they don't have electronic clock-in/clock-out system, maybe you could create an excel document that each employee fills out that calulates pay & withholdingd. Then you C&P into your check-writing software.

 

Also mate keep a cheat sheet nearby that shows what each person's pay tends to look like so that if it's off by a lot, you'll notice?

 

The key to reducing errors is having fewer opportunities for you to input values. Any plan you can create that doesn't make a big financial / time impact to the company is a good step.

 

Finally, I would see if you can cut checks on Thirsday, instead of Friday, so that you have a better chance to correct the error of checks have errors. Otherwise, commit to not leaving work on Friday until everyone has checked their check.

[lauraw4321]

Jut saw your reply. Do they have email access?

[saraha]

You'll be okay.  :grouphug:

 

I agree with spending some time developing new procedures and going back to triple-check all the old ones. Explain that on Tuesday.

 

I wouldn't write a note today or tomorrow while you are upset, and if you decide to write a note, keep it very simple, with no explanations or excuses, just an apology. "I'm so sorry this happened, and I've taken steps to ensure it won't happen again."

 

Your boss must have your phone number, right? If she really needed to talk to you this weekend, she would call. Just get your procedures done and try not to think about it too much for the rest of the weekend.

 

Thanks.  I haven't found any other mistakes so far.  So that is good.  It must have been an off day for my brain.  I am just so worried that since it is such a small outfit, and that trust is such a big part of my job-even though there is openness, people don't really have time to be checking every little thing I do, that I people are going to think I am not capable of the job, especially since I blew it all so spectacularly one day.

 

[lauraw4321]

Ugh. Sorry for so many typos. Typing on phone.

[Guest]

This is exactly me; mortified, working for a small company so I do varied kinds of jobs of which this is one. We don't have any kind of system. The girls literally hand write their in and out time every day on a piece of paper hanging on the bulletin board, then I figure up their hours worked and turn it into the payroll company we use. Other than my actual boss, I don't know who else would double check from work. I like the idea of having my dh double check for me, but that sounds less than professional to tell her that.

Did everything turn out ok? Did people go back to thinking you were reliable?

I wouldnt tell anyone dh was double checking- I would have it be my little secret.

 

And yes, everything ended up okay for me. It was a loosey goosey cobbled together system like you describe and because we worked for a million different companies (we ran pharma trials), all of the billing varied from company to company. No accounting software at the time could handle the variation so I got VERY good at excel. But sometimes all the cutting and pasting caused issues. As the company grew we were able to afford more infrastructure, but I left there about seven years ago and billing and bids were still being handled in excel!

 

If you are handy with excel, I'm assuming you aren't using Quickbooks or anything, I would suggest maybe trying to develop some templates that take a lot of the work out for you. And maybe look into some time recording software or templates that wouldn't be too expensive or that you could self implement. Writing times on a piece of paper than can get lost is dicey and the storage is difficult. I would still suggest the apology and everything, but maybe a week or two later, if you can find anything, then you can respectively make some process improvement suggestions to the boss. Sometimes people just run with what they have because they don't have time to investigate alternatives. That sounds like your boss. It would make you, at least in my opinion, look very proactive and that is a good thing. Don't beat yourself up too much. EVERYONE makes mistakes and there is always a learning curve- for everyone. Hopefully your boss realizes that and it's no big deal. Keep your chin up. It will be ok. :)

Edited July 2, 2016 by texasmom33

[saraha]

My boss has email access to me, but not employees.  I will check into seeing if there is a way to automate time cards somehow, but my boss will be less than excited about this.  SHe told me during the interview that  the idea has been suggested before and after looking into the technology, she gave it a pass saying that only 8 employees doesn't justify the expense.

[Lanny]

I think if I were in your shoes, I would tell my boss, "I don't know what happened, but I promise you that I will double check my calculations in the future and that I will be more careful".  Were there any issues, regarding legibility on the time cards? If so, I would explain that to your boss.  

[The Governess]

Do the employees total their own hours for each pay period? It would help if they totaled their own hours worked for each type of hours (regular, OT, holiday, etc.). Then you could double check that your numbers match their calculations before submitting.

[saraha]

I wouldnt tell anyone dh was double checking- I would have it be my little secret.

 

And yes, everything ended up okay for me. It was a loosey goosey cobbled together system like you describe and because we worked for a million different companies (we ran pharma trials), all of the billing varied from company to company. No accounting software at the time could handle the variation so I got VERY good at excel. But sometimes all the cutting and pasting caused issues. As the company grew we were able to afford more infrastructure, but I left there about seven years ago and billing and bids were still being handled in excel!

 

If you are handy with excel, I'm assuming you aren't using Quickbooks or anything, I would suggest maybe trying to develop some templates that take a lot of the work out for you. And maybe look into some time recording software or templates that wouldn't be too expensive or that you could self implement. Writing times on a piece of paper than can get lost is dicey and the storage is difficult. I would still suggest the apology and everything, but maybe a week or two later, if you can find anything, then you can respectively make some process improvement suggestions to the boss. Sometimes people just run with what they have because they don't have time to investigate alternatives. That sounds like your boss. It would make you, at least in my opinion, look very proactive and that is a good thing. Don't beat yourself up too much. EVERYONE makes mistakes and there is always a learning curve- for everyone. Hopefully your boss realizes that and it's no big deal. Keep your chin up. It will be ok. :)

 

Thanks.  I had looked into getting quickbooks for the office right after I got hired, did a little presentation on how it would benefit etc.  She said she would think about it for after the new year.  Maybe in a few weeks, maybe after the next payroll round, I will say something about quickbooks again, just to keep it fresh in her mind.  I will definitely see if I can find an excel template we can use.

[saraha]

I think if I were in your shoes, I would tell my boss, "I don't know what happened, but I promise you that I will double check my calculations in the future and that I will be more careful".  Were there any issues, regarding legibility on the time cards? If so, I would explain that to your boss.  

 

Nope, no legibility issues, one mistake was a total brain fart, the other I can only surmise was me getting two lines of numbers confused.

[happi duck]

I would never expect my boss to check my work. As a boss I'd receive the copy and set aside wondering why I was copied on it.

 

Imo: Look for mistakes, fix them, say sorry and move on with confidence with your own private triple checks in place.

[saraha]

Do the employees total their own hours for each pay period? It would help if they totaled their own hours worked for each type of hours (regular, OT, holiday, etc.). Then you could double check that your numbers match their calculations before submitting.

 

OOOHHH!  I like this.  I am going to suggest that Tuesday!  Why did I not think of this before?!?

[Guest]

My boss has email access to me, but not employees. I will check into seeing if there is a way to automate time cards somehow, but my boss will be less than excited about this. SHe told me during the interview that the idea has been suggested before and after looking into the technology, she gave it a pass saying that only 8 employees doesn't justify the expense.

That's probably true. At that point most companies are investing in themselves to grow- things like time keeping systems have to wait. But you could still formalize a form for each employee and then use their handwritten form to filling your template at the end of each week or however your cycles are. Their hourly rate would also be on the form ( if it's kept in a place other employees can't access) and then you can keep an excel version for each employee on your computer. Perhaps a workbook for each employee and then a tab for each week. Their rate will be on each sheet and then you simply type in the hours recorded on the paper form. Voila- excel will calculate it all for you. Then you have a paper and electric record. Your boss will kiss you if you ever get an audit. I can't imagine dealing with that with nothing but snippets of paper for time recording. If you want help designing a form, feel free to PM me.

[cintinative]

Sometimes no matter how many times you double check you still miss it because you've stared at it so much it just slides right past you.

 

I haven't ever been in charge of payroll but I have made significant errors on important spreadsheet work in the past. This (above) is exactly the problem. You either have to step away from it for long enough to have fresh eyes (which sometimes you don't have time to do), or have someone else look it over (as suggested, even dh or a teen).  It is SO easy to miss mistakes when you have spent hours and hours in something.  

[LucyStoner]

My boss has email access to me, but not employees. I will check into seeing if there is a way to automate time cards somehow, but my boss will be less than excited about this. SHe told me during the interview that the idea has been suggested before and after looking into the technology, she gave it a pass saying that only 8 employees doesn't justify the expense.

Whatever she is paying to the payroll service would cover the costs of Quickbooks payroll and then some.

 

BTDT with realizing an error in bookkeeping or payroll. When I am doing payroll for clients, time cards are due early and then the boss gets a summary before send it to be deposited (we almost always use automatic deposit) and each employee gets an email that shows a breakdown of their hours as entered. They have 24 hours to let me know if anything is wrong. Employees will almost always know if there is something funky about their pay. If they don't alert me to an error, it gets sent and deposited. Never had to make a big adjustment with this system. Generally I am handling payroll with QBs.

 

When I make a mistake the best policy is to take responsibility, apologize, make no excuse but offer a professional and collected description of how you ensuring it doesn't happen again. Don't mention your husband or anyone else checking. Do offer them early previews of their own hours as you entered them at the employee level and not the just the paystubs after payroll has been sent.

 

When there's a big underpayment in payroll (thinking of the one where it was a big difference and not merely 1 hour) the employee should be offered a quick solution so they aren't put in a position where they can't pay their bills on time. If you have a smart phone, set the workplace's emails to give you a push notifications. The phone they have for you should be a number where you can get back to them by end of day. I tell my clients that I will check messages at certain times and guarantee a return call within x time. This has been popular with my clients.

 

Errors happen from time to time. If you react to this one professionally in time you will see that they will come to trust you. They will also respect a professional response. This is one reason dual checks are built into bookkeeping. Build those into your system and things will be fine moving forwards.

Edited July 2, 2016 by LucyStoner

[saraha]

Thanks to everyone's advice and sympathy, I think I am coming up with a plan for Tuesday.  Thanks for making me not feel like a complete idiot.  You guys are great.

[SKL]

I'm sorry.  Everyone makes mistakes, and in a way, being new may work in your favor.  You are still on a learning curve.  Definitely take responsibility and go in with a plan to reduce the risk of this happening again.  Don't worry about whether they will "trust" you.  If they check their paychecks more closely, that is not a bad thing.  Just show that you want to get it right.

 

I know how it feels to be caught in a work mistake.  It's hard to remember (and sometimes hard to help others remember) that it happens to everyone.  Payroll happens to be more sensitive than anything else when it comes to accounting.  Try not to take any of it personally; just fix it for the present and the future as best you can.

 

Once you figure out a plan to fix this, write it up and then put it aside.  Hopefully having a plan will help you to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[SKL]

And I think it would be OK to tell the person with the "big error" that you are working on fixing that as fast as possible.  Just knowing that you understand her angst will go a long way toward softening her feelings about it IMO.

[Anne in CA]

Most people do just want to know that you take it seriously and are really sorry. That really should be good enough, I promise!

[Lisa R.]

OP, perhaps look into Harvest https://www.getharvest.com/m

 

I've heard this is a good solution for a small business.

[Janeway]

I do the books for a small business, and part of my job is to calculate the hours employees have worked and turn in to our payroll service.  I do the calculations and make 3 copies, one for my records, one for my boss, and one for payroll.  Friday my boss called me and left a voicemail saying an employee complained that her check wasn't right, so she went through the time cards and it was off, by A LOT.  So she went through the time cards for everyone and found 2 OTHER paychecks that were off by 1 hour each.  I didn't see this voicemail until after the boss left for the day (I work from home mostly) but called her and left her a voicemail saying I would look into it and get back to her this morning. 

 

Now, this isn't like me, but I am new to this job and people don't really know me.  It is a very small business, with only 8 employees, which only makes my mistake look worse.  I have no idea what I was thinking, the two 1 hour mistakes were simple math errors, and the other I can only guess that I started with one line of numbers and somehow jumped to another line. 

 

I am the one who started giving out copies of my payroll worksheets when I began this job, the previous treasurer didn't do that, so that everyone could see what I was turning in, and in case there was a problem like this. But, like I said, since I am new, and I made 3 mistakes in one week,  I am afraid of what people think. 

 

I guess what I need advice on is what to do from here.  With it being the holiday, I won't be able to reimburse the girls or talk to my boss until Tuesday, which is FOREVER from  now, and what makes it worse is that these girls make minimum wage, so I am sure they need every penny they have coming to them right now.  I guess I also need talked down from the ledge too!

 

I plan to go back through all of the time cards beginning when I took over the position in March, so that on Tuesday I can tell my boss that not only did I double check the current, I also went back and double checked all of the past, but what else do I say?  Should I write each of the girls a note?  How do I make this better?!?  No one is going to trust me anymore.  I want to be proactive and absolutely take responsibility for my mistakes, but I also know that my tendency when I am upset or nervous is to throw too many words at the situation, and the not having actually talked to my boss is making me crazy!  So while my family are all out at the lake having fun with their cousins, I am here trying to fix this mess.  Ok, now I am just devolving... anyway, help!

(((hugs)))

[kiwik]

OOOHHH! I like this. I am going to suggest that Tuesday! Why did I not think of this before?!?

Just make sure it comes across as part of a new system not blame shifting.

 

I don't do payroll but last year I switched to MYOB essentials for accounting because excel was getting too clumsy to handle the volume of transactions. It is a monthly subscription and therefore requires little outlay up front.

 

Eta. Payroll at work is always making mistakes like that. Usually they pay the difference as soon as you bring it to their attention.

Edited July 3, 2016 by kiwik

[Melissa in Australia]

Hugs

[speedmom4]

No specific advice but you have my deepest sympathies! When I have made mistakes at work I am literally sick. I can't get over it easily and it eats at me for months. Now when someone else makes a mistake it doesn't phase me at all. I've had my paycheck messed up many times and it doesn't bother me because I know they'll fix it. 

 

(((Hugs)))

[Pegasus]

Most people do just want to know that you take it seriously and are really sorry. 

 

I agree with the above but would change the last phrase to "and are taking steps to prevent the same mistake."

 

We are all human and all make mistakes.  This particular mistake is very fixable.  Everyone will end up getting paid what they are due.

 

In a few weeks time, this will seem like a very small blip in your new job.

[AmandaVT]

I have made a mistake in payroll too. We fixed it and moved on. DH sets up the direct deposit for our payroll. Two weeks ago, he reversed a couple of numbers in one of our employees deposit amount and ended up accidentally shorting her $50. She caught it, he wrote her a check for the $50 the next day. I added up hours wrong once on an employees check and shorted her 2 hours. I caught it and we wrote a check for the 2 hrs and apologized. It happens. 

Before he had his own company, DH worked for a large company in our town for 12 years. He probably had 3 or 4 paychecks that had errors over the years and they had a whole team working on payroll and used ADP. Fix it and move on, it'll be ok. 

[saraha]

Thanks everyone for giving me advice and perspective on this.  It just felt so catastrophic since I had made so many mistakes at once, on a holiday weekend when I couldn't fix it right away, on my new job.  The hardest part is the  waiting to fix it, but I am glad that others have been on the receiving end of this kind of mistake and it wasn't as big a deal as it probably feels like to me.  I have come up with a new paper time sheet that has room for both the employee to total their hours and an extra space for me to total their hours, that should be a start.  I plan to phrase it like "Ok, I have made this mistake, and I am sorry for the inconvenience.  Here is my idea of how we can prevent this from happening again- if both the employee and I are totaling, it should catch any mistakes.  Here is your check to fix it."

[HSmomof2]

I would spend the weekend working out specific procedures that will prevent it happening again. Then go in on Tuesday acknowledge fault, take responsibility, and explain the new procedures. I would apologise sincerely and briefly to the specific employees. Then never mention it again.

ITA^^^

[StephanieZ]

I think you've gotten good advice above. Take responsibility, apologize, and ensure new procedures will prevent this sort of error.

 

My advice is to create an Excel (or similar) spreadsheet for these calculations. That's what I did for our payroll (12-ish employees) years ago, and my office manager is still using them. In fact, whenever we come up with a new benefit/thing that needs calculations regularly, I help her create a spreadsheet that can be recycled (and saved/printed as needed) for each use. Create the sheet right, and it prevents errors such as these. If you aren't comfortable with Excel, then you need to get comfortable with it. No "numbers people" should be without a comfortable working knowledge of spreadsheets!

 

Also, being the numbers lady at our work and supervisor to folks who do it for me . . . Perfection is pretty important in these areas . . . You will need to be super careful and triple check things, improve your systems, etc. Some people are more naturally perfectionist than others. If it doesn't come naturally to you, you've got to force yourself to use double checks, etc from here on out. Some errors can be catastrophic, and some jobs just require more attention to detail. This error wasn't catastrophic, but you need to be "on your game" so it doesn't happen again.

 

Good luck!! 

 

And, FWIW, I wouldn't sweat too hard about the apologies to the staff. Not usually a huge big deal to be the receiving end of these sorts of small oops-ies. I know you feel bad, and that's a good thing because you messed up, but errors happen. Just fix it and avoid repeating it, and try to improve the systems to minimize similar sorts of errors. A sincere, brief verbal apology to those impacted would be great, maybe along with buying the team a carton of donuts or something if you really feel you need to do more than simply say to each person, "Wow, I'm sorry I messed that up!! Here's your check!! Won't happen again!!"

 

Also, if any of the errors were in the favor of the employee, it might be wise to just "let them have the overage" which is generally how we've handled those sorts of errors at our family business. This stings a little (or a lot!) for the business owner to eat the loss, but it stings more to upset a staff member by taking away money after they've already deposited (and spent) the overpayment. (If the error was in the favor of the business, then of course, we would make it right with the employee!!) Anyway, you will need to figure out what went wrong, and then let your boss decide what to do about any over-payments if they occurred. 

 

The important thing is to make sure your *boss* knows you are mortified and committed to avoiding a repeat. Being new to the job makes it harder for the boss to understand that this is a "one off" and won't be a recurring problem. Don't let anything like this happen again anytime soon, and you should be OK. At least for me, now when my office manager or client services team leader makes a "goof" I don't sweat it *at all* and their mortification and apologies aren't critical (although they are reassuring) because I have a decade of reliable performance with which to balance the occasional goof. If a brand new employee makes that sort of error, it's harder to trust in their work . . . 

 

[StephanieZ]

ps. Short of Excel, you can/should use an adding machine that PRINTS tapes. That's the method the old-time bookkeepers used, and I still have our staff use it for daily deposits. Having the tape printing out the added column of number and then stapled to the deposit package makes it pretty easy to catch errors. MUCH better than a simple calculator! They're maybe $30 or so and last for ages. 

[SamanthaCarter]

Coming in late, and I didn't read all of the replies. Since I do bookeeping I just wanted to jump in and agree:

 

1. Have employees add up thier hours to that you have some number that yours should agree with. They might goof, probably will, but at least when your numbers don't agree, you'll be forced to look closer.

 

2. Absolutely have dh be your second pair of eyes. He doesn't have to see names. No one has to know he's doing this for you. 

 

3. If you make an excel sheet, don't get too reliant upon it. I've seen so many errors due to people putting too much trust in the spreadsheet. Formulas can get messed up, rows can get added without being included in a sum, etc. You need some kind of built-in check figure or check formula to make sure your result passes a "smell test."

 

[vonfirmath]

I haven't ever been in charge of payroll but I have made significant errors on important spreadsheet work in the past. This (above) is exactly the problem. You either have to step away from it for long enough to have fresh eyes (which sometimes you don't have time to do), or have someone else look it over (as suggested, even dh or a teen).  It is SO easy to miss mistakes when you have spent hours and hours in something.  

 

Agreed. I work for a small company too. Nothing involving money goes out without at least two people having looked at it. And at that mistakes still happen sometimes.

[StephanieZ]

Another idea . . . If your workplace isn't using a computerized time clock (sounds like it isn't or it's not set up in a helpful manner since you are still manually adding hours), now is a great time to implement one. Our work's time clock is integrated with our practice software, but I know they sell stand-alone computerized time clocks/programs/etc. I'm sure you could get something good for under $200-300, which would pay for itself very quickly in time saved. (We use spreadsheets to track benefits, etc, but our actual hours are tallied by the program . . . It's easy as pie. Computerized time clocks can also dramatically cut down on employee stretching of hours (logging 9AM start time when they're getting in at 9:07, etc.) if they're manually logging their hours . . . If that's the case, then a computerized time clock will pay for itself *very* quickly with  just that savings. 

[saraha]

Thanks everybody!  I  really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions and am looking into all of the options to discuss tomorrow.  My boss is very old school, so my stop-gap suggestion is a new time sheet that I designed and printed out for everyone to fill in and a line for both the employee to tally their time everyday, and a line for me, which will then be copied and given to boss. I plan to have some info on automated time clocks, since maybe she might be a little more inclined now that I screwed up. 

 

I mostly appreciate everyone telling me that it is not the end of the world, it sure felt like it on Friday.  I am hoping that tomorrow, I can hand out checks, apologize, say "Hey, here is a new way to do this that will keep this from happening again" and call it good.  I hope...I have to admit though, I am not very good at confrontation, so I am very nervous.  Hopefully she just gives me the stink eye and says, just don't let it happen again. :glare:

[vonfirmath]

Another idea . . . If your workplace isn't using a computerized time clock (sounds like it isn't or it's not set up in a helpful manner since you are still manually adding hours), now is a great time to implement one. Our work's time clock is integrated with our practice software, but I know they sell stand-alone computerized time clocks/programs/etc. I'm sure you could get something good for under $200-300, which would pay for itself very quickly in time saved. (We use spreadsheets to track benefits, etc, but our actual hours are tallied by the program . . . It's easy as pie. Computerized time clocks can also dramatically cut down on employee stretching of hours (logging 9AM start time when they're getting in at 9:07, etc.) if they're manually logging their hours . . . If that's the case, then a computerized time clock will pay for itself *very* quickly with  just that savings. 

 

Question: How do computerized time clocks work when you have people at multiple locations? And sometimes a different location everyday. (Our company is construction. Most of the employees don't work in the office. They work on location)

[StephanieZ]

Question: How do computerized time clocks work when you have people at multiple locations? And sometimes a different location everyday. (Our company is construction. Most of the employees don't work in the office. They work on location)

 

I don't know. sorry!

[lewber]

We used to use a program called clockspot. It is web based so you can log in anywhere there's a computer with Internet. They also have phone in capability where the employee can call a number and enter their code and it records it that way. There are other systems out there that have apps where you can clock in and out on a smart phone.

 

Question: How do computerized time clocks work when you have people at multiple locations? And sometimes a different location everyday. (Our company is construction. Most of the employees don't work in the office. They work on location)

[idnib]

Saraha, how'd it go today?  :grouphug:

[goldberry]

BTDT with realizing an error in bookkeeping or payroll.

 

Yep, me too.  I have felt that sick feeling that you just screwed up someone's money!

 

I agree with having the employees total their own hours.  If it were me, I would then enter it in a spreadsheet that would also total, and then compare.

 

Time clocks are really expensive and yes, I would think too much for 8 employees.

 

Good luck today!

[saraha]

Sorry to take so long to get back, but I wanted to end the story, I always like to see how one of these threads comes out!  So I went in Tuesday to fix everything, boss was fine with that, said not to worry.  I showed her the new time sheet that I designed that has a line for both the employee to total hours for the day and a space total for the week, plus a line for me to total each employees daily and weekly.  She said great we'll start using it today.  Fast forward 2 weeks to payroll time again.

 

I pick up the new time sheet.  All of the girls have totaled their daily and their weekly except one who didn't bother.  I sat down and worked the numbers myself, then worked them again, then seriously, worked them a third time.  Of the 7 employees on the time sheet, 1 didn't total her hours, two totaled them correctly and 4!!! totaled them wrong, including the boss!  So I am looking at these time sheets thinking "Now what?!"  The boss gave herself an extra hour and the rest of the girls shorted themselves, one by two hours!  In the meantime, boss has gone on vacation.  So I call the head teacher in charge for the week.  She says bring them in and we'll look at them.  Everyone has a good laugh and I literally explain that when you add the minutes up, you have to carry in groups of 60 (an hour) not when you get to 100.  All of the girls make remarks like, well, I have never had to do this before, I'm not good at math, glad I don't have your job etc.  Head teacher calls the boss, who says to just go with my numbers and be done with it.  I have no idea what she is going to say when she gets back!

[LucyStoner]

Glad it went well.

 

Maybe give them the time sheet to submit as an excel document which tallies their total hours for them and then have them print it and give that to the boss for approval? Never discount the ability of people to mess up arithmetic. I have done payroll for PhDs who had trouble adding hours vs. base ten minutes. :P

[zoobie]

What kind of teachers? I'm a little scared!