How to keep staff timesheets organised across two small businesses
How to keep staff timesheets organised across two small businesses
If you own two small businesses, you probably have two sets of staff, two rosters and two sets of hours to review. It is easy for those records to drift together. A staff member's shift at one café ends up in the other café's review, or a weekly export gets sent to the wrong bookkeeper.
This guide sets out a simple routine for keeping each business's staff hours separate, organised and easy to review. It covers general workflow advice you can apply with any system, and it notes where ClockHQ's current features help.
Start by treating each business as its own record
Each business needs its own record of staff, schedules, timesheets and exports. Keeping them separate from the start means you never have to untangle them later.
In ClockHQ, each business has its own staff list, schedules, timesheets and exports. Set up each one with its own name and its own team, rather than trying to share one list across both.
Decide who belongs to which business
Some people work in both businesses, such as a manager who covers shifts across two locations. Others only ever work in one.
For each person, write down:
- The business they work for.
- Their role in that business.
- Whether they also clock hours in your other business.
If someone works in both, record their hours in each business separately, using the same clock-in method. This keeps each business's review and export accurate for its own payroll preparation.
Set up clock-in for each business
Staff clock in with a QR code and a PIN in a mobile browser, so there is no app to download. Set up each business's QR code and PIN process separately.
- Print a QR code for each business and display it at that business.
- Give each team member a personal PIN for the business they work in.
- Explain that the PIN is personal and should never be shared.
Keeping the codes separate reduces the risk of a shift being recorded against the wrong business.
Keep schedules separate
Write each business's roster in its own schedule. Do not copy a roster from one business into the other without checking it, because the people, hours and breaks will usually be different.
A simple routine helps here. Each week, finish one business's schedule and review before you start the other.
Review hours one business at a time
A weekly review is where timesheets become useful. Do the review for each business separately, so you can compare the hours with that business's roster.
For each business, check:
- Total hours per person against the roster.
- Breaks taken, and whether they match your award or workplace policy.
- Shifts with unusual start or finish times.
- Missing or edited entries, and why they happened.
Review staff hours and breaks in ClockHQ for each business, then compare any unusual entries with that business's roster.
Export records for each business
When a business's review is done, export its records for payroll preparation. ClockHQ can export an Excel workbook for each business. You can also copy a weekly summary into Google Sheets by hand.
Label every export with the business name and the week it covers. A clear file name prevents mix-ups later.
ClockHQ does not process payroll. Your payroll system or accountant still calculates and pays wages, and you should check the final figures against your obligations.
Work with a bookkeeper for each business
If you use a bookkeeper for one or both businesses, give each of them their own separate login rather than sharing yours. ClockHQ lets bookkeepers use separate logins and be invited to each business.
Billing stays with the owner, so the owner keeps control of the subscription for each business.
A checklist for two businesses
- Each business has its own staff list
- Each business has its own schedule
- Each business has its own QR code and PINs
- Staff who work in both businesses are recorded in each separately
- Each business's weekly review is done on its own
- Exports are labelled with the business name and week
- Each bookkeeper uses a separate login for the businesses they support
- Billing is checked by the owner
Demo data
For example, an owner runs a café and a bakery. A barista works one shift at the café and one at the bakery on the same day. The owner records each shift under the right business and reviews each one separately, so neither review is confused by the other.
This scenario is fictional and provided for illustration.
Compare plans and start your trial
If you run more than one business, see the current plan options at clockhq.app/pricing. Then start your 14-day free trial at clockhq.app. No credit card is required to start.