How Timesheets are created

Audience

This article is for people managers and supervisors who use Roubler to review and approve timesheets and want to understand how timesheets are created from rosters, clockings and manual entries.

Description

In Roubler, a timesheet is the authoritative record of what an employee actually worked for a given day or shift. It normally includes:

Start and finish times, and breaks.
Location and position/work type.
Any linked rostered shift.
Any linked clockings (mobile or kiosk).
A status (Draft, Pending, Approved, Authorised/Committed).

Payroll and pay conditions are calculated from approved/authorised timesheets, not directly from the roster.

1. Roster + clockings (most common path)

Managers publish the roster for a period.
- Published shifts appear in Time & Attendance as unassociated (planned) shifts.
Employees clock in and out (mobile app or clock devices).
Roubler matches the rostered shift and the clock entries.
A timesheet is created or updated with:
- Roster information,
- Actual clock-in/clock-out times,
- Breaks and location details.

Managers then review and approve these timesheets on the Timesheets screen.

2. Clockings without a rostered shift

Sometimes employees clock without a matching published shift, for example:

Ad-hoc work, or
Shifts worked before the roster was published/updated.

In these cases, Roubler may create a timesheet directly from the clockings,

Managers must decide whether to:

Link the clocking to a suitable rostered shift,
Treat it as ad-hoc worked time (according to policy), or
Edit/ignore it if the clocking is incorrect.

3. Manual / manager-created timesheets

If:

An employee forgets to clock, (Clock in, Clock Out, or both)
Works off-roster, or
A correction is needed,

you can create or edit timesheets manually in the Timesheets screen.

You can find unassociated clocks and shifts at the bottom of the Timesheet screen

Click on the relevant Employee and date, then click on Complete to create the timesheet

Typical use:

Enter start/finish times and breaks.
Optionally link to a rostered shift.
Add a note explaining why the timesheet was created or changed (for audit and payroll review).

Follow your internal rules on when manual adjustments are allowed.

4. Employee-submitted timesheets (if enabled)

In some configurations, employees can submit timesheets instead of clocking:

They enter their own start/finish times and breaks in the app or web.
These appear in the Timesheets view for managers to review, edit if necessary, and approve just like clock-based timesheets.

5. Leave timesheets

When leave requests are approved:

Roubler normally creates leave timesheets for the relevant dates.
These feed into Time & Attendance reporting and payroll exports or integrations.

This keeps time worked and time on leave aligned for scheduling and pay.

How rosters, clocks, timesheets and pay fit together

Think of the flow as a chain:

Rosters – planned time
- Published shifts define who should work when and where.
Clockings – recorded time
- Employees clock in/out and take breaks; data includes times and device/location info.
Timesheets – approved time
- Built from rosters + clocks + manual entries; managers review and approve.
Pay conditions & payroll – paid time
- Approved/authorised timesheets drive costing and pay rules in payroll.

Troubleshooting

1. “Employees say they clocked, but I can’t see any timesheets.”

Likely causes:

Roster wasn’t published before they worked, so clocks didn’t attach to a shift.
Clockings created unassociated entries that you haven’t linked yet.
Employees missed a clock-in or clock-out.

Manager actions:

Open the Timesheets / Time & Attendance area and check for:
- Unassociated shifts (planned roster not linked to any timesheet).
- Standalone clock entries needing review.
Link valid entries to shifts or create manual timesheets as needed.
Remind staff to clock correctly and ensure future rosters are published in time.

2. “Timesheets don’t match the roster (start/finish times or breaks).”

This is normal when employees start early, stay late, or take different breaks.

Compare rostered vs actual on the timesheet:
- Was the change authorised?
- Does it create overtime or penalties under your rules?

Actions:

If the extra time should be paid, keep the actual times and add a note.
If not, adjust the timesheet to the correct values and document why.

3. “Why are there so many unassociated shifts?”

Unassociated shifts are rostered shifts not currently linked to any timesheet. They usually mean:

Shifts were unpublished or changed after associations.
Employees didn’t clock for those shifts.

Manager steps:

Regularly review unassociated shifts.
Either:
- Link them to existing timesheets, or
- Confirm they weren’t worked and clear them per your process.

This helps avoid missing pay or incorrect attendance reporting.

4. “I can’t see timesheets for an employee who works for me.”

Commonly a permissions/location issue:

Check if their primary location is within locations you manage.
Confirm you have a manager-level permission group with Time & Attendance access for that location.

If something looks wrong, ask HR/Payroll or your internal Roubler administrator to update locations/permissions.

Who to contact for help

If you still need help after reviewing how timesheets are created, use internal support channels only.

HR / Payroll team

Contact HR/Payroll for:

Questions about how timesheets translate into pay (overtime, penalties, breaks).
How to handle edge cases (missing clocks, off-roster work, back-dated changes).
Discrepancies between approved timesheets and payroll results.

Internal Roubler/system administrator or IT/support

Contact your internal Roubler or IT/support team for:

Problems with Timesheets screen access, alerts or visibility.
Questions about how rosters, clocks, timesheets and pay-condition rules are configured.
Escalation to the external vendor if behaviour seems inconsistent with configuration.

Provide example employees, dates and screenshots of roster vs clocks vs timesheets to help them diagnose issues quickly.