Timesheets add to stress, study shows

The use of timesheets represents a measure of distrust, most UK employees believe.

According to new research, the UK is the third most stressed workforce in Europe when it comes to time-tracking, with 37% reporting that timesheets cause stress. Ireland (39%) and Romania (38%) were the only two countries where timesheet-derived stress was higher.

Businesses tend to use timesheets to record time workers spend on specific tasks, projects, or clients.

European HR provider SD Worx, which commissioned the research, said stress was likely caused by outdated tracking methods or many viewing the task as an “on top of” activity to the rest of their work. That’s despite time-tracking being a weekly fixture for just 45% for UK firms compared to a European average of 57%.

More than 53% of UK employees did concede that time-tracking provided necessary insights for productivity and performance and 48% said it had a part to play in helping to maintain work-life balance. Most (60%) also agreed that time-tracking helped with planning and organising workloads.

Commenting on the findings Laura Miller, UK people country leader at SD Worx, said time-tracking was vital for many companies “so it shouldn’t be viewed as a chore”.

She added that time was valuable to employees and employers, so businesses needed to embrace tech advancements and systems and select solutions that met both parties’ needs.

“What’s more, as part of tech upskilling schemes we must see huge education around how modernised time tracking is of benefit to the employee,” Miller said. “It must be clearly signalled to employees how and why time tracking plays a part in work-life balance, performance and how that feeds into personal career trajectories. Employees must feel like they have power in their own hands, and that they’re not just completing a tick box activity for an employer.”

SD Worx surveyed 5,000 businesses and 18,000 employees in 18 countries across Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium.

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