staff timesheet guidelines and recommendations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Office of Monitoring Email
• Staff Timesheet Compliance Items
• Implementing These Changes
  • Changing the Number of Timesheet Signers
  • Adding Staff to the Impact Suite
  • Removing Clock in and Clock out Times
  • Updating your Policies and Procedures Document 

Office of Monitoring Email

The Office of Monitoring for AmeriCorps provided helpful guidance on staff timesheet requirements at the 2024 ASN Symposium. Below is confirmation of these items in writing.

Staff Timesheet Compliance Items

The two core compliance items relevant to staff timekeeping are below: 

1. Staff Timesheet Signatures:
   A single signer can sign staff timesheets, and this signer can be the AmeriCorps Program Manager. 
   
   For the Program Manager's timesheet, another staff member in the organization needs to provide their signature, and this person should not be a subordinate of that Program Manager.
   
   Note: Two signatures are still the best practice and recommendation on member timesheets. 
   
   
2. Timekeeping in the Impact Suite:
   Staff timesheets in the Impact Suite do not need to document specificclock-in and clock-out times, nor do they need to include all time spent on other grants.
   
   However, this time spent on other grants must be tracked in an alternative timekeeping system (likely the organization-wide timekeeping system), and the location of this documentation must be detailed in the program's Timesheet Policy and Procedures.

Implementing These Changes

Check out our article with full guianance on staff timesheets: creating timesheet templates for staff

Below is additional guiance on how to make updates to releveant items from the Office of Monitoring email. If you'd like additional help in the process, please email support@americalearns.net. 

Changing the Number of Timesheet Signers:

1. On the left, in your Mission Control, click Timesheets.
   
   
2. On the right, click Create & manage timesheet templates.
   
   
3. Select the staff template that you’d like to edit.
   
   
4. Scroll down until you see, "When Screening Sheets, How Many People Should Sign Off on Each Affiliate?"
   
   
5. Use the radio button to select the first option for One Signer:
   Note: This will go into effect immediately. 

Adding Staff to the Impact Suite:
Here's an article that reviews creating reporter accounts using Excel. 

Note: If you want the AmeriCorps Program Manager to have a separate signer from the rest of the staff, please create a Staff Site specifically for that program manager and assign the supervisor signer for that person to only that site. This will make sure the correct timesheets are routed to the correct signers.

Removing Clock in and Clock out Times:

1. On the left, in your Mission Control, click Timesheets.
   
   
2. On the right, click Create & manage timesheet templates.
   
   
3. Select the staff template that you’d like to edit.
   
   
4. Scroll down until you see, "Time In and Time Out Functionality."
   
   
5. Use the radio button to select the bottom option: 
   Note: This will update all future timesheets beginning at the next launch. Current timesheets will continue to have time in and time out functionality.

Updating your Policies and Procedures Document: 

This is a critical step in maintaining compliance. 

Your Policies and Procedures Document MUST include information detailing where non-AmeriCorps staff time is kept. Here is a sample Policies and Procedures document for you to use as a template if you don't currently have one: AmeriCorps Member File Policy and Procedure Template.