Timesheet Approval

How we determine fair and accurate time reporting - and what to do if we request revisions

Overview

We appreciate the hard work of our Scholars. We know that you want clarity around time and billing, so that you can feel confident about your expected earnings and are excited to work on your tasks.

The way we ask you to record time, and our conditions for acceptance, will vary project by project. Make sure that you understand the project fully before you start work.

At the start of every project, we will inform you clearly of our policies and procedures for evaluating timesheets - via our training calls and in our project guidelines.

• Please read this info thoroughly, and attend all required training calls, so that you have a complete understanding of how your time will be evaluated before you start work.

• Always discuss with your Project Manager if you have any questions.

• If guidelines change during a project, we will clearly communicate with you.

Timesheet Approval

After you have tracked your time using one of our timesheet tools (instructions here), you will submit the timesheet for approval by your Project Manager. Their job at this stage is to review the quality of your work, the time you have spent using one of our work tools, any training or assessment time that we have promised to pay for, and other considerations.

Depending on the result of this review, one of the following might happen:

• Most of the time, we will approve the timesheet and create your invoice immediately

• Sometimes we will ask you to revise the timesheet to include additional hours for training, meetings or other administration that you participated in

• Sometimes we will ask you to revise the timesheet downwards, based on quality, plagiarism or other concerns.

Let's examine the third case so that you have complete clarity.

Potential reasons for timesheet rejection

Depending on the rules and requirements for your specific project, a Project Manager may reject your timesheet and/or ask you to revise your hours downwards. We will always give you a clear explanation, referring directly to the specific rules of the project.

In general, your timesheet might be rejected for the following reasons:

• If the task is to create a specific work output, and you have not submitted a valid response For example, if you submitted no usable information for a task, we may need to ask you to reduce your requested hours.

• If your tasks do not meet the quality threshold we outlined in our project guidelines For example, if your work is reviewed and we identify that a significant proportion of your submitted tasks do not meet our quality standards, or you have missed critical areas or provided incorrect information.

• If your hours submitted are at odds with other records, such as our tool's internal analytics We always try to give Scholars the benefit of the doubt, and we only apply this method in circumstances where there is a dramatic mismatch that indicates your hours might be incorrect.

• If we discover that you have provided plagiarized material Avoiding plagiarism is a fundamental requirement of our work, and so if we discover that some or many of your tasks contain plagiarized material, we are not able to accept these tasks.

What to do if your timesheet is rejected

We know that having a timesheet rejected can be a difficult experience, and you may feel discouraged or upset at the situation. Here's what to expect and do next:

• If our evaluation is consistent with the guidelines you agreed to at the start of the project, please revise your timesheet accordingly. If you do this promptly, your timesheet will be approved and your payment scheduled without delay.

• If you disagree with our findings, please explain your reasoning with as much clarity and detail as you can. We always review every situation carefully.

• Your Project Manager is the best person to advocate for your position, and they communicate directly with our teams that create the guidelines. By helping them understand your specific circumstance with patience and clarity, and responding to any further requests for information promptly, we can always resolve the situation together.

• Always follow our Code of Conduct regarding professional and polite communication.

We always try to resolve timesheet issues promptly so that you can get paid. Our team works Monday to Friday, and we are normally able to respond within 24 hours.

Escalation and review

If you have explained your issue to your Project Manager, and you have been unable to resolve the issue together, you can ask for a formal escalation. In this case, a senior manager will review your timesheet. Please bear in mind that this may take up to 72h, while we gather more information and ensure that your case is given due consideration.

Depending on the situation, we may request a video conversation to discuss further, or we may offer a compromise solution. We always prioritize resolving any issue in such a way that our Scholars are excited to work with iMerit again.