Manage time tracking access with Permissions

In Settings → Permissions, you can define the time tracking permissions.

On the top level, you can choose whether or not users in a permission set can see the Hours tab at all.

• If people should track time in Operating, make sure this switch is ON.

• If they’re tracking time outside of Operating and you’re importing time entry data via the API or by uploading files, it’s best practice to leave this toggle OFF for them.

Full access to time tracking

These are the most allowing settings:

• See all time entries: not only their own but for all the people they can see

• Edit all time entries

• Can create time entries for all projects they can see

• Can see all time off details (also for other people, e.g. if a colleague was away on sick leave)

• Manage time balance or people whose time entries they can see

• Edit approved time entries – after locking and approval, there may (rarely) be a need to edit the tracked time, so the person with this toggle ON can do it

Screenshot of this “all access” setup below:

Naturally, not all organizations wish to give all of that access to everyone.

Typical access to time tracking

These are the most allowing settings:

• See only their own time entries

• Edit their own time entries

• When they’re added to a team setup for a project (their name is assigned to a position in the project), they’re a member, and can start tracking time – with the exception of projects where anyone can track time

• Can only see all their own time off details

• No access to time balance settings – their manager or someone from HR will do this for them, and make sure payroll and other relevant stakeholders are informed

• Edit approved time entries – toggle OFF, they should make sure that the timesheets they lock are correct, and if the approver finds an issue, they can still edit locked hours and re-send to approval. After approval, only the manager or an admin can edit the time entries.

Screenshot of this setup below:

Common projects – where anyone can track time, even without explicit membership

In the project details → time tracking, you can choose to toggle ON the option of “Allow tracking time without position assignment”. When enabled, anyone can track time to this project regardless of their position assignment permissions. This overrides the "Time Entry for Projects" permission setting.

If the person does not see the project due to limited permissions, they can still choose this “common project for all” in the Hours dropdown menu, under Projects for everyone:

The person using Hours in the screenshot above does not have visibility to the “Internal misc” project, but can still track time there.

The person can still see all of the time entries they have created: navigate to their own profile page (main menu → My Profile) and open the Time tracking section. They can also see their own data in the Time Entries Directory, if they have access to Directory.