HRIS: Timekeeping Tools to Monitor Audit Trail

Monitoring the audit trail in HRIS timekeeping tools is essential for tracking any changes made to employee timesheets, clock-ins, clock-outs, and other time-related data. An audit trail provides transparency, ensures accountability, and helps in compliance audits by recording the who, what, when, and why of every action taken within the system.

Key Features:

1. Employee Time Entries:
   • Track changes made to employee time entries, such as clock-in and clock-out times.
   • Review who approved or edited a timesheet entry.
   • Monitor adjustments to overtime, break times, or shift changes.
2. Timesheet Modifications:
   • Record any modifications made to a submitted or approved timesheet (e.g., manual adjustments by HR or managers).
   • Note any deleted or added time entries, as well as any modifications to previously submitted hours.
3. Supervisor or HR Interventions:
   • Identify which supervisors, managers, or HR personnel made changes to timesheets, especially if they are correcting errors or updating missed hours.
   • Capture if and when approvals were given or rejected.
4. User Access and Actions:
   • Track which users accessed the timekeeping system and which actions they performed (e.g., viewing timesheets, submitting, approving, editing).
   • Ensure only authorized personnel are able to make specific changes or approve timesheets.
5. Automated Notifications:
   • Monitor any system-generated notifications or alerts related to changes made to timesheets (e.g., approvals, edits, or errors).
6. Employee Self-Service Modifications:
   • If employees can submit their own timesheets, track when they submit, modify, or correct entries.
   • Monitor whether timesheets are approved or rejected and note the reasons for these decisions.

Steps to Use HRIS Timekeeping Tools for Audit Trail Monitoring:

1. Enable Audit Trail Features:
   • Most modern HRIS systems have an audit trail feature that logs all activities related to timekeeping. Make sure the audit trail functionality is enabled within the system.
   • Check the settings to ensure the audit trail is capturing all relevant information (e.g., time stamps, user details, actions performed).
2. Access the Audit Trail Report:
   • Navigate to the reporting section of the timekeeping tool in your HRIS.
   • Locate the "Audit Trail" or "Activity Log" report.
   • These reports typically allow you to filter by employee, date range, action type (edit, delete, approve, etc.), and user.
3. Generate the Audit Trail Report:
   • Run a report to display the log of activities within a certain time frame (e.g., daily, weekly, or monthly).
   • Customize the report to show specific actions, such as time entry edits, approval actions, or time-off requests.
   • The report should display the user who made the change, the action performed, the time of the change, and any comments or reasons for the action.
4. Review Audit Trail Entries:
   • Review each entry in the audit trail to ensure all timekeeping actions are legitimate, appropriately authorized, and compliant with internal policies.
   • Look for suspicious activity, such as unauthorized edits, missing approval steps, or unusual patterns of time entry changes.
   • Follow up with relevant personnel (employees, supervisors, or HR staff) if any discrepancies or unauthorized actions are detected.
5. Monitor for Compliance:
   • Regularly monitor the audit trail for compliance with labor laws, such as tracking overtime, breaks, and time off.
   • Ensure that any edits made to timesheets are in line with company policies and legal requirements (e.g., limiting the number of edits after a timesheet is submitted for approval).
6. Set Alerts for Critical Changes (Optional):
   • Some HRIS platforms allow you to set alerts for specific actions, such as unauthorized timesheet edits or approvals.
   • If a critical action (e.g., changing a timesheet after it’s been approved) occurs, the system can notify managers or HR personnel, prompting an immediate review.
7. Audit Trail Reports for Discrepancies:
   • In case of an audit or dispute, use the audit trail to verify the accuracy and validity of timesheet data.
   • The audit trail can help clarify the history of any discrepancies in an employee’s time records, such as unexplained missing or added hours.

Benefits:

• Accountability: It ensures all changes to employee time data are transparent and traceable, holding employees and managers accountable for their actions.
• Security and Integrity: By tracking who accessed or modified timesheets, you ensure that sensitive timekeeping data is protected from unauthorized changes.
• Compliance: The audit trail helps ensure your organization is compliant with labor laws, ensuring no unauthorized edits to employee hours or overtime calculations.
• Error Detection: It helps quickly detect errors or inconsistencies in employee timesheets or approvals, facilitating faster corrections.
• Reporting and Analysis: HR or payroll teams can use the audit trail for analysis and to generate reports to help improve processes and prevent fraud.

Conclusion:

By effectively using the audit trail in your HRIS system, you maintain control and oversight of employee time data and help ensure that timekeeping remains accurate, transparent, and compliant with company policies and legal standards.