12 Types of Employee Time Theft and How to Prevent Them

Payroll fraud from employee time theft affects businesses of all sizes. A shocking 75% of employees admit they've engaged in timesheet fraud, stealing time from employers at least once. This time abuse is rampant, costing organizations up to $50 billion annually in the United States alone.  

Even small businesses are commonly impacted, with 56% finding time variance errors in timesheets and 4 out of 5 experiencing anomalies like inflated hours. 

These alarming statistics make it clear that time theft should be a top concern for employers. But what exactly constitutes time theft, and how can you spot the signs in your own organization? 

What exactly is employee time theft? 

Employee time theft, also known as wage theft, is when an employee receives compensation for hours they did not honestly work. This can take many forms, from buddy punching to unauthorized overtime.  

Any intentional deceit by an employee to get paid for time not actually worked is considered theft. 

Time theft often happens right under a manager's nose. Employees will find ways to steal minutes or hours here and there, which quickly adds up. But what motivates this unethical behavior? Understanding the reasons behind time theft is key to prevention. 

Why are employees stealing time? 

What motivates employees to engage in timesheet manipulation and abuse company time in the first place? There are many reasons an otherwise ethical employee may rationalize stealing time: 

1. Financial pressures - Employees may feel underpaid or be experiencing money troubles, leading them to improperly manipulate timesheets to supplement their income. 
2. Opportunity - Weak oversight or controls provide openings for timesheet fraud that seem low risk. 
3. Rationalization - Employees may justify time cheating by telling themselves the company won't miss the time or that they "deserve" it. 
4. Low morale - Employees who are dissatisfied with their jobs or bosses may time abuse as a way to "get even." 
5. Peer pressure - If co-workers are getting away with timesheet padding, it can normalize the behavior. 
6. Perceived unfairness - Employees passed over for promotion or who feel mistreated may falsify hours as retribution. 
7. Thrills - Some personality types gain a "rush" from getting away with improper reimbursements. 
8. Addictions - Gambling, drugs, or other addictions can motivate payroll manipulation to fund habits. 
9. Greed - For some, basic greed motivates stealing time even if they don't need the money. 
10. Poor training - Employees may not understand timekeeping policies or theft consequences. 
11. Habit - Long timers who have gotten away with time abuse may simply continue out of habit. 

When employees steal time, it's often because they don't fully grasp the impact or have justified it internally in some way.  

This brings us to the heart of the matter - how time is stolen. By recognizing the various ways staff engages in time banditry, organizations can better detect and prevent it. 

How do employees commit time theft? 

So how exactly do employees steal time? There are many clever and subtle ways staff can pad their hours: 

1. Taking excessive breaks beyond allotted times 
2. Buddy punching to cover late or absent employees 
3. Falsifying timesheet documentation 
4. Paycode abuse like incorrectly coding higher billing rates 
5. Intentionally working slowly to drag out tasks 
6. Adding a few minutes to timesheets daily 
7. Surfing the internet for non-work purposes 
8. Running errands during working hours 
9. Attending personal appointments on company time 
10. Calling in sick when not actually ill 
11. Taking unauthorized vacation or personal days 
12. Accepting bribes or kickbacks to allow time theft 

The methods vary greatly, but generally involve deceit to receive pay for hours not worked. Even small minutes of timesheet padding add up substantially over weeks and months. 

How can employers prevent theft of company time? 

With so many ways employees can potentially steal time, prevention may seem daunting. But implementing a few key measures can greatly reduce timesheet fraud, payroll padding, and other issues. Effective prevention includes: 

• Implement clear policies against time theft and procedures for accurate timesheet tracking. Training all staff on expectations helps deter issues. This prevents timesheet fraud, buddy punching, unauthorized overtime 
• Use time and attendance software for automated timesheet monitoring to flag anomalies. This prevents timesheet padding, buddy punching, and overtime abuse 
• Conduct random timesheet auditing to uncover patterns of time waste and inflated hours. This prevents improper clock-ins, unauthorized time off, extended breaks 
• Set expectations around breaks, personal usage of company time, and prohibiting distractions. This prevents excessive socializing, internet use, running errands 
• Foster an engaged workforce to improve morale and reduce rationalizations for stealing time. This prevents timesheet manipulation. 
• Consistently enforce policies and discipline offenders. This prevents falsified timesheets, timesheet fraud  

Why use time & attendance software?  

Time and attendance systems allow configurable rules to restrict punches, set overtime policies, and require supervisor approvals. Automated notifications flag anomalies for investigation before payroll finalizes. Robust reporting provides audit trails to unmask patterns of theft.  

Biometric time clocks prevent employees from clocking in for others. Geofencing confirms staff are present when punched in. Advanced systems even monitor computer activity to ensure employees are productive during paid hours. 

In essence, comprehensive time and attendance software automates enforcement of policies and provides transparency into attendance issues. The right system tailored to an organization's needs can prevent: 

• Timesheet padding or fabrication 
• Buddy punching 
• Unauthorized overtime 
• Improper clock-ins/outs 
• Falsified time off 
• Paycode abuse 
• Unauthorized breaks or absences 
• Payroll fraud 
• Improper documentation 
• Timesheet tampering 
• Excessive socializing 
• Personal usage of company time 

Robust time and attendance systems provide comprehensive protection against the many flavors of time theft impacting today's employers. Integrating the right software is the most efficient path to recapture lost payroll dollars and ensure staff are paid only for the exact hours they honestly work.