On a busy show, field supervisors and office staff work different hours. Without clear handoffs, a sheet sits in someone's truck while payroll waits. This guide sets out a simple approval chain you can adapt to your own policies.
Define the handoffs before the first call
Write down where completed sheets go, how they are labeled, what must be filled in, who answers questions and when payroll closes. A one-page instruction per job beats a process passed along by word of mouth.
Five stages, five owners
- Complete: the crew or designated timekeeper fills in the sheet with job, date and times.
- Verify in the field: the foreman confirms the names and times match the shift and signs off.
- Log in the office: an administrator records the sheet, checks required fields and matches it to the job.
- Resolve questions: the person with direct knowledge answers each unclear or missing entry, and the answer is written down.
- Approve: an authorized person reviews the final batch and releases it to payroll.
Make corrections visible
Do not overwrite an original entry. Record what changed, who confirmed it and when, and keep the original sheet attached. Give each line a status, such as received, needs review, waiting on foreman, approved or sent, so the office can tell a late sheet from a disputed one.
Set cutoffs and an escalation rule
Schedule collection around show close and payroll processing. Decide in advance what happens to a line that is still open at cutoff: who is told, whether it is held, and how a late correction is handled under your own policy.
Where software fits
Reading the sheet can shorten intake, but accountability does not move. myCrewIQ reads handwritten sign-in sheets and flags the fields that need a human, and you choose who approves payroll. See trade show payroll from paper sign-in sheets for the full flow.
This guide is general information. Follow your own policies and applicable requirements.
Frequently asked questions
- Who should approve an event crew timesheet?
- The foreman or supervisor who ran the call verifies the sheet in the field, and an authorized person in the office approves the final hours before they go to payroll. Name both roles for every job.
- How should corrections be handled?
- Do not overwrite the original entry. Record what changed, who confirmed it and when, and keep the original sheet attached.
- What if a question is still open at the payroll cutoff?
- Decide the rule before the job: who is notified, whether the line is held, and how a later correction is handled under your own policy.