First published on Thursday, June 26, 2025
Last updated on Thursday, September 25, 2025
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In the UK industries of all specialties use timesheets to record and report on the working hours of employees:
Professional services
Education
Each with their own needs and use cases, timesheets offer a wide range of benefits, especially when you consider modern, digital solutions.
The popularity of timesheets overtime
Timesheets first gained popularity during the industrial revolution. A time when factories were hiring hundreds of workers, usually to work over various shift patterns. At this time, they were of course paper-based and were used mostly to track start and finish times of workers. This primarily supported the payment of workers based on the going hourly rate.
These paper-based timesheets relied on staff to record their hours each day or week. And often worked in conjunction with traditional punch cards.
Overtime, timesheets were adopted by other industries and have advanced to provide further insight into the working hours of employees. Including automated options in the form of digital timesheets.
From corporate businesses to manufacturing, many UK industries continue to rely upon timesheets for accurate time tracking, recording and reporting of employee working hours.
Timesheets for different industries
Let’s delve into this further, uncovering the different reasons why industries use timesheets.
Accounting and law firms
In corporate businesses such as accounting and law, timesheets are primarily used to track the number of hours an individual has supplied services to a client.
Since clients pay for the number of hours an accountant or solicitor has worked for them, these timesheets make it much easier for the firm to charge clients accurately. Ensuring that the accountant, lawyer, solicitor are paid for their work.
Hospitality
In the fast-paced world of the hospitality industry, managers using timesheets can seamlessly manage multiple staff over various shifts at once. Keeping a close eye on who has worked when and for how long.
Not only does this ensure that the business remains compliant with UK employment laws, but these hospitality timesheets also provide insight into the working patterns of staff. Supporting the production of new shifts and rotas.
Healthcare
The healthcare industry is another which hire shift workers and therefore relies heavily on the accuracy of shift planning and tracking of staff working hours.
The NHS alone hires around 1.5 million people, so having records in place to ensure everyone has worked the hours they are required to, helps to simplify people management processes. From accurate payroll to simply keeping staff safe and healthy, timesheets and clocking in records provide more than just numbers.
Creative industries and agencies
Quite like the corporate worlds of accounting and law, creative industries such as digital marketing will use timesheets to record billable hours. Making it easier to charge clients for the exact service and time they have been provided with.
Those who freelance in this industry may also choose to keep their own personal timesheet records in order to manage their working hours and workload from various clients.
Education timesheets
While a full-time teacher on a fixed salary may not need to fill out a timesheet, support staff, supply teachers and part-time workers in the education sector benefit from doing so.
Supply and substitute teachers
Substitute teachers are often hired by an external agency and will work between different schools depending on demand. They can cover a wide area in just one working week. So, using timesheets is a good way for them, their agency, and the schools they work with to confirm the hours of work provided.
Other extracurricular work, such as after-school activities may also be logged using a timesheet. Much like overtime would be by an employee in any other industry.
Digital timesheet records for safety and security
While paper-based timesheets are simple, they come with their own security concerns. Simply losing a document like this could put your business’ secure data into the hands of the wrong person.
For industries where safety and security are a concern, it’s best to look out for digital timesheet solutions that offer the level of cyber security required to keep data safe. This includes keeping your business in line with the Data Protection Act and GDPR guidelines.
In this digital era, it has never been more important to be selective with the tools you choose. Making sure that they provide a high level of digital security.
Timesheet integration with other HR and payroll systems
Integrating your timesheet processes with other key payroll and HR systems will save you both time and money.
That’s why an all-in-one people management solution is the answer for small businesses in a wide range of industries across the UK. Whether you provide healthcare services or run a local restaurant, BrightHR provides the digital solutions you need to keep on top of managing your employees.
With automated timesheet reports, combined with our clocking in and out app, Blip, It’s simple to keep track of working hours and maintain accurate records for legal compliance.
Book a free demo to discover the benefits our award-winning HR software can provide your business.
