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Labor Management - Payroll Export Best Practices

Use these best practices before and during Payroll Export Day. Staying on top of them throughout the pay period makes export day quick and error-free.

Before Payroll Export Day

  1. Each GM should navigate to Labor, then Performance, then the Department tab, and confirm that any shift showing a blue dot (MANUAL – Overtime) is not inflated. An inflated shift usually means a manual timesheet entry was errored – for example, entering a shift as 7am – 3am instead of 7am – 3pm.

  2. Navigate to Labor, then Performance, then the Employee tab, and confirm that any shift showing a red dot (NO SHOW) is legitimate and the person did not actually work. If they did work, add their missing shift by clicking their timecard from this page instead of leaving for Timesheets.

  3. Still on the Employee tab, confirm that any shift showing an orange dot (Auto Punch Out, or APO) is updated to the actual time the employee left, and enter a reason why they clocked in but failed to clock out. You can drill into each timecard directly from Performance – you do not need to go to Timesheets.

  4. Navigate to Accounting, then Daily Activity Entry, and confirm that ALL days within the pay period you are preparing to export are complete.

  5. Navigate to Labor, then Housekeeping, and confirm ALL Housekeeping Approvals are complete. This should be done daily by an Executive Housekeeper (or the GM, for a focused-service hotel). Skipping it will not block your export, but MPCR (Minutes Per Cleaned Room) labor reporting will be inaccurate for Room Attendants.

  6. Navigate to Labor, then Payroll, and closely review EACH employee's timecard to confirm no one is missing hours (or missing entirely). If hours are missing, go to Timesheets to add them. Confirm ALL new employees have completed Administration, then Users profiles, including the Labor/Payroll tabs.

If a salaried employee shows a NEW HIRE/TERMINATED badge and should be paid in this pay cycle: (1) check the box next to their name, (2) click their name to open the payroll slideout, and (3) enter the number of HOURS they must be paid for this pay period. For example, someone who started or termed in week 2 may be owed only 40 hours instead of 80.

Optional Steps

  • (If applicable) Navigate to Labor, then Payroll, and click each employee that requires additional pay such as bonuses, differential pay, or allowances.

  • (If applicable) Navigate to Labor, then Payroll, and click each TIPPED employee's slideout to confirm their Paycheck Tips have been entered for each day of the pay period. Cash tip (declared tips) entry is optional.

  • (If applicable) Navigate to Labor, then Timesheets, and confirm there are no Disputed Timecards – resolve any that appear. Also make sure no one who worked within the pay period is absent from this page. There are only two ways a name appears on Timesheets: the employee clocked in at least once within the pay period, or a manager added them using Add Entry or Add Time Off. Adding someone to the schedule alone does not create a timecard here.

To Finalize Payroll

  1. Navigate to Labor, then Overview, and confirm all alerts are cleared for this pay period: Overtime at Risk, SmileiD, Time Off Requests, Housekeeping Approvals, and – most importantly – Daily GM Approval.

  2. Navigate to Labor, then Payroll, and click Export Payroll. That is the final step.

  3. The designated Corporate or Payroll team member(s) will receive an email from the assigned Payroll Manager with a file to review and approve before final payroll processing.

Pro Tips

IF PRO TIP: Hours are entered in Labor, then Timesheets, while dollars are entered in Labor, then Payroll – except for salaried NEW HIRE/TERMINATED employees, whose hours are entered on the Payroll page.

IF PRO TIP: If a salaried employee was out or terminated, has no accrued PTO, and you need to deduct hours from their check, navigate to Labor, then Timesheets, then Add Time Off, and choose Type: UTO (Unpaid Time Off). This deducts hours from the salaried amount saved in their user profile.

IF PRO TIP: If you approve all days, export payroll, then Mark as Unexported because you found an error – but do not re-export and email your corporate payroll contact – the updated changes will NOT appear on employees' paychecks. You must re-export payroll for the changes to take effect.

IF PRO TIP: Ask employees to approve their own timecards. Navigate to Labor, then Reports, then the Reports Gallery, and add the Punch History – Timecard Approval, Detail by Hotel report (click Add to add it to your gallery). Generate it to show each employee's worked hours for the pay period, with a place for the employee and manager to sign and date.

IF PRO TIP: If you have questions, use chat support or email [email protected] and start your subject line with your E/HID. Do not wait until payroll processing day, or your chat or ticket may be delayed by high volume or a 24-hour turnaround. Payroll Export Day should be a breeze once you have kept Labor Management updated throughout the pay period – and the more batches you export, the more efficient you become.

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