How to Set Rate Types for Timesheets

In this article we show you how you can set job types (e.g. picking) to have specific Rate Types (e.g. Piece Rate OR Wages OR the option for either = Both).

This customisation option strengthens your timesheet process and helps reduce errors where staff may be entered for the incorrect rate type in timesheets. Errors like that can cause nightmares for payroll administrators, and as they're the people that pay the dosh out, it's important we keep them happy!

There are two aspects to using Rate Types:

1) Admin - the task of defining which job has which option. This task is done on the webapp (on your laptop/PC) and is usually done by a payroll specialist or manager.

2) In the field - the task of setting the Rate Type when the option of "both" has been set by the Admin. This allows supervisors to determine which option is the correct option for that job at that time.

*Regardless of whether a job is done as piece rate or wages, with Hectre the pieces of work are always counted! So if you have someone picking with wages selected, your Hectre app is still always counting the pieces and collecting that data for you so you can check on productivity by worker. Nice!

Below we take you through both aspects, so we can get you sorted and keep the payroll folk destressed!

Admin - Defining Job Rate Types (webapp)

Video below followed by written instructions

Step 1 - Login to your Hectre webapp as you normally would on your laptop or PC. Click on the Admin button on the bottom left. Then click JOBS/TASKS.

Step 2 - Now you can scroll through the Job Type options on the left and select those which you wish to set with a rate type. Many of the common tasks, such as Picking, Pruning and Thinning have been set to "Both" as a default, enabling those in the field to select which option is correct.

If you wish any task to be set to a specific rate type, regardless of defaults, you can do this! We use "Picking" as an example in the next step.

Step 3 - Select "Picking" from the scrollable Job Types. In this example, we have changed the JOB TYPE rate type to "Wages". "Picking Bins" will come up automatically in the Category field, but if you're cherry picking, you can use the drop down arrow in the Category field to select "Picking (buckets) instead. If all looks good, click Save, and you're set!

*In this example, with Wages being set, when picking jobs are undertaken they can only be loaded in the timesheet as Wages.

The next example looks at setting the Job Type rate to "Piece Rate".

Step 4 - Follow the same process as step 3, but change the JOB TYPE rate type to "Piece Rate". We've used pruning for this example and you'll notice that the rate unit has automatically come up as "per tree". If all looks good, click Save, and you're set!

*In this example, with Piece Rate being set, when pruning jobs are undertaken they can only be loaded in the timesheet as Piece Rate.

In the Field - Selecting Job Rate Types (iPad / iPhone)

When you're out in the field and a Job Type rate type has been set as "Both", you have the option of selecting "Wages" or "Piece Rate", depending on what is right for the situation, giving you flexibility to pay staff differently for different situations.

Step 1 - Login to your mobile Hectre app as you normally would. Click the 3 stacked lines on the top left corner to bring up the menu and select "Timesheet".

Step 2 - Select your staff members for the job task you're setting up (or you may do this by clicking on Build Team). For this example we have selected 3 staff which now have the tick beside their name. Next, click on the "+" symbol at the top right to allocate them with a Job.

Step 3 - We'll use a common job like "Picking" for our example. Select "Picking" which will take you through to the next screen.
Step 4 - Select the picking location details as you normally would and then click on "Select Time".

Step 5 - Now we're getting to the good stuff! As "Picking" has been set in your Admin as "Both" you can now choose whether to make the job payable as "Wages" or "Piece Rate" with the two options at the top of the screen, as highlighted in our lovely purple box below. The power is yours! From here, simply clock your staff in as per usual.

Step 6 - If you wanted the job done with "Piece Rate", simply select that option instead and enter your piece rate details as you normally would. Sorted!

Step 7 - If when clocking your staff out, you need to change them from one Rate Type to another, you can do this too!

Simply click on the " update rate and volume" link.

In this example (second image below), we've changed lovely Alicia's rate type from "Piece Rate" to "Wages". You'll see a message comes up to confirm that you're changing her to wages and that's how she'll be paid, not at the $25 piece rate. If all looks good, click on "Confirm" and the change is made!