Some evening and weekend work is required.

When a non-profit employee, especially an executive director, is a salaried position, there is an unwritten expectation that they will get the job done no matter how long it takes. Many new EDs will embrace this work arrangement because they want to prove themselves capable and valuable to the organization. It might be 4-5 months or 3-4 years before that schedule becomes an 80-hour workweek, being on call all the time, and missing out (or abandoning) a personal life.

It isn’t sustainable.

On the flip side, embracing a time-tracking tool can create guilt. An executive director can worry that the board will think they aren’t serious enough about the job if they are tracking hours. No one wants the boss to think they are doing only the bare minimum.

Instead of thinking about whether the employee or the employer is getting the better deal, it helps to think of implementing a time tracking tool, a basic timesheet, for the executive director, and the entire staff team as a foundational administrative document with 3 core purposes.

Timesheets ensure fairness.

Being salaried isn't an excuse for an employer to try and force a 75-hour work week onto an employee who is only paid for 35 hours. Being salaried also isn’t an excuse for an employee to goof off and only work for 10 hours when paid for 35. A timesheet is a great tool to ensure fairness for both the employer and the employee.

Timesheets ensure flexibility really is flexible.

We’ve all got the clause in our job description that notes some evening and weekend work is required. But how often, and do you get to take time off in lieu? If an employer wants an employee to be flexible enough to work evenings and weekends, that flexibility should be reciprocated by allowing the employee to bank the overtime and use the hours when they choose. When a non-profit can provide the same flexibility to its employees as it expects FROM its employees, it can become a desirable benefit that can be used to attract top talent potential employees.  

Timesheets are good risk management.

I don’t know a non-profit executive director who doesn’t have an eye on risk management pretty much all the time. With the often-dizzying array of employment standards it can be easy to forget some aspect of employment legislation. A timesheet can be developed to track everything from banked hours and over time to vacation days and sick time. Timesheets can easily become the official record for an employee’s work hours and can significantly reduce the organization’s financial risk if a past employee seeks legal action for a working hours complaint.

Casual is risky.

A non-profit could choose to be much more casual about employee work hours. Those hand-shake agreements about working evenings and weekends might lead to missing out on important moments at home. Those hand-shake agreements about taking a few days off here and there might lead to not really knowing when an employee is going to be in the office. That creates an unhappy employee, an unhappy employer, and a lot of confusion.  

A non-profit that uses timesheets to embrace fairness and flexibility will position itself to keep employees happy and feeling respected. Being able to demonstrate good risk management practices will help a non-profit to be regarded as doing its very best to prevent financial threats to the organization’s ability to stay in operation.

Your turn.

Your turn. Do you use timesheets at your non-profit? What information do you record? Are you protected as the employee? Is the organization protected? I want to know! Please use the form on the side of the page to let me know, ..or send me an email, ..or message me on socials.

-Christie

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Hi, I'm Christie. I help executive directors develop the systems and processes needed to run a non-profit.

I learned early in my career, there is no non-profit school. Browsing the internet for resources from big-city experts doesn’t provide practical solutions to balance the budget, write a work plan, or conduct an employee evaluation. Leadership development tips don’t really resonate when you are also taking out the recycling and cleaning the washroom.

I created ChristieSaas.com so non-profit leaders never need to wonder how to do the job – no matter how big or small that job is.

I have been the executive director of small-team, small-budget, non-profits for 20+ years. My experience isn’t theory. It is the real, operational, and practical solutions I use every day.

I love my work, and I want to help you love yours too.

© Christie Saas 2024 All Rights Reserved

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