Progression Means No Timesheets

How we ditched timesheet reporting and improved client outcomes

At Resonate Consultants, there has always been a particular focus on our core values of ingenuity and fostering client relationships. To foster these values day in and day out, we made the transition away from timesheets when the organisation was first founded. This way, an obvious link between acoustics engineer consultants and clients could be drawn and enjoyed. The result? Employees who focus on project outcomes, rather than time, and clients who delight in the finished results.

Moving away from timesheets may seem like a drastic measure in the traditional corporate space. However, the progressiveness of such an approach has benefits organisation-wide as well as for clients. Instead of dedicating thinking time to filling in and manipulating timesheets, employees can focus on something more important— the task at hand.

For those thinking about making the switch, it is important to adopt a top-down approach and provide clear direction, trust and empowerment across the whole business. In particular, empowering team leaders, who are amongst the broader team every day, observing working habits and offering solutions to obstacles.

Another critical component of making a successful transition away from timesheets is having employee buy-in. Director of Market Leadership, Darren Jurevicius, explained how this is achieved at Resonate Consultants, saying that ‘we all work together to achieve a common goal.’ By aiming for the same goal, teams are empowered to collaborate nationally to deliver project work and achieve a national revenue goal efficiently. This sense of ownership that stems from this, combined with financial incentives— in the form of profit share— encourages employees to actively contribute to Resonate Consultants’ culture and continuous efficiency improvements.

Rather than working to timesheet related KPIs that provide no incentive to be efficient, employees work to different KPIs specifically relating to client service and feedback. Resonate Consultants have been very careful to avoid KPIs that cause selfish behaviour, which may lead to constrained business and client outcomes as well as disgruntled staff.

No timesheets can lead to more room for collaboration, research and innovation. Furthermore, there is no incentive to be time-efficient when working under an arrangement where utilisation is a focus. Instead, ‘timesheet manipulation to manage perceptions by spreading allocated time across projects to hide excessive time on projects has often been observed,’ said Darren. ‘In a no timesheet model, the quicker you can deliver projects, the more can be done, leading to more profit for the business. A national focus on efficiency tools and team throughput, meeting deadlines on time and keeping clients happy is the topic of conversation for leadership.

Take a look at Darren explaining our no timesheets policy in this video:

This increased staff engagement fosters a collaborative environment where like-minded individuals can work together on projects. It also allows for those still learning or for those looking to gain experience in different facets of the business to be present on projects. All of which has end benefits for the client. Without timesheets, team leaders must check in with fellow employees daily. This way, issues can be discovered before deadlines and the overall project’s quality isn’t compromised. This results in engaged employees— using their complete skill set and all tools at their disposal— working to meet project deadlines rather than just working to fill a time or utilisation quota.

Such cooperation comes down to hiring people who will wholeheartedly buy into the company culture. This means hiring professionals and nurturing graduates who will take ownership of outcomes. It also means investing in employees who will work with their teammates and individually when that freedom arises. Above all else, it means cultivating an employee network that displays core company values. For our acoustic consulting firm, this means employees will be responsible, client-centric and above all else, united.

As Darren stated, moving away from timesheets requires ‘a shift of thinking.’ However, such a change is not impossible. In the modern business landscape where employees are working under a hybrid arrangement, employing tools that foster collaboration and working together to achieve common goals will help businesses attract an array of clients and the right employees.

Are you looking to engage an acoustic consultant who puts results first? Let’s talk today.