The Team Roster and the Unreliable Timesheet
You are the team leader of a five-person administrative team in a training organisation. Timesheets are due to payroll at 9:00 am Monday. On Friday afternoon, one team member, Alex, submits a timesheet claiming 8 hours of overtime for the week, but the roster shows Alex was not approved for any overtime, and two of the claimed evening hours fall on a night when the office security log shows no after-hours access. Alex has been reliable for two years but recently mentioned money problems. Another team member privately told you Alex has been leaving early some days without recording it. Payroll says late timesheets delay everyone's pay. The organisation's policy requires overtime to be approved in advance by the team leader, and any disputed timesheet to be resolved before submission. Alex is away on leave until Tuesday.
1. What would you do before the 9:00 am Monday payroll deadline, and what are the risks of each option? (6 marks)
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Options and risks:
- Approve the timesheet as submitted. Meets the payroll deadline and avoids conflict, but pays unapproved overtime, contradicts the security log and sets a precedent that undermines the approval policy. It also exposes the organisation to an audit finding and is unfair to staff who follow the rule.
- Reject or amend it silently. Protects the budget but denies Alex natural justice - there may be a legitimate explanation (a clock-in failure, work done remotely, a rostering error). Acting without hearing Alex risks an underpayment claim and damages trust.
- Hold the disputed portion and pay the undisputed hours. This is the balanced option: submit the timesheet for the hours that are rostered and agreed, and hold the 8 overtime hours pending investigation. Notify payroll in writing before 9:00 am so the pay run is not delayed for the whole team, and flag that a correction may follow. The risk is that Alex is underpaid temporarily, which must be corrected promptly once resolved.
Recommended action: hold the disputed hours, pay the rest, notify payroll and your manager in writing, and arrange a private meeting with Alex on Tuesday. Do not confront Alex by message while on leave, and do not repeat the second team member's private comment as fact - treat it as unverified and investigate independently through the roster and security records. Document everything factually. The privacy of the person who raised the concern should be protected where possible.
2. Describe how you would conduct the conversation with Alex and what outcome you would aim for. (5 marks)
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Before the meeting: gather the evidence - the timesheet, the roster, the security log and the overtime policy - and book a private room. Frame it as a fact-finding conversation, not an accusation, and tell Alex in advance what it is about so he can prepare.
During the meeting: state the facts neutrally ('your timesheet shows eight hours of overtime; the roster shows no approved overtime and the security log shows no access on the Tuesday evening'). Invite his explanation and listen without interrupting. Possible legitimate explanations include remote work, a system error or a verbal approval from someone else - check each one. Be clear about the policy: overtime needs prior approval. If early departures are raised, put the specific dates to him rather than referring vaguely to 'what others have said', and do not reveal who raised it.
Aim for: a shared understanding of what happened, a corrected timesheet, and a written agreement about how overtime and any flexible hours will be requested and recorded going forward. If the explanation does not hold up, follow the organisation's performance-management process rather than improvising a penalty, and refer to your manager. Offer support - Alex has mentioned financial pressure, so point him to the employee assistance program. The goal is a corrected record and a restored working relationship, not a punishment.