Chapter 7 – Human Resources – Working with webERP

In this chapter, we will explore the the difference between users and employees, how to manage them, and submitting employee timesheets.

Create and manage users.
Create and manage employees.
Assign permissions to users.
Termination activities.
Timesheet entering and reporting.

Timesheets

In webERP, tracking labor time revolves around Employees, Labor Stock Items / Work Centres, and Work Orders (Manufacturing / Job Costing).

Because webERP links labor directly to General Ledger accounts, inventory master records, and Work Orders, the workflow requires establishing your master setup, entering time entries against specific jobs/work orders, and extracting reports for cost accounting or payroll review.

Phase 1: Configuration & Prerequisites

Before entering time records, you must configure the underlying master data:

1. Set Up User Security Permissions

Navigate to Setup > User Maintenance / Security Roles (WWW_Access.php / PageSecurity.php).
Ensure the user account has access tokens assigned to Employees Maintenance and Timesheet Entry (Security Token 20 controls employee and timesheet administration).

2. Create Labor / Service Stock Items

Time entries in webERP reference a labor item code stored in the stock master table (stockmaster).

Go to Items / Manufacturing > New Item (Stocks.php).

Set Item Type to Labour / Service (non-stock item).

Assign a standard cost per hour for the labor code (used to calculate labor variances when timesheets are posted against Work Orders).

3. Define Work Centres

If tracking labor by station or shop floor section:

Go to Manufacturing Setup > Work Centres (WorkCentres.php).

Create work centres and set their overhead/labor rates and default GL posting accounts.

4. Configure Employees

Go to Setup / Payroll > Employee Maintenance (Employees.php).

Create employee profiles (First Name, Surname, Department, Normal Hours/Week).

Link the employee record to their primary Labor Stock Code (the default labor item used when they post time).

Phase 2: Creating and Logging Timesheets

Timesheets in webERP record labor hours worked by employees against specific Work Orders (Jobs) or general cost centres.

1. 1. Select Employee and Period: Navigate to Timesheets.php.Open the Timesheet Entry screen (Timesheets.php). Select the target employee from the dropdown list and specify the date or pay-period week ending.

2. 2. Assign Work Order and Task: For each time entry row:

Select or search for the active Work Order Number (WO).

Select the Labor Stock Code (e.g., Assembly, Technical Service, Machining).

(Optional) Select the specific Work Centre if applicable.

3. 3. Enter Hours and Activity Notes: Enter the total hours worked (e.g., 7.50 hours). Provide a short description of the work performed for tracking/audit purposes.

4. 4. Submit and Process Timesheet:Click Process / Save Timesheet. Depending on your setup:

Direct Issue: Time entries issue actual labor cost to the selected Work Order (WOIssue.php), debiting Work in Progress (WIP) and crediting Labor Absorption/Payroll GL accounts.

Pending Approval: The system logs time records in the employee time table for supervisor approval before posting to the GL.

Phase 3: Generating Time & Labor Reports

webERP offers several standard reports and inquiries to analyze labor hours, compare standard vs. actual job costs, and export data for payroll.

1. 1. Work Order Costing & Variance Report

Path: Manufacturing > Inquiries and Reports > Work Order Costing (WorkOrderCosting.php) or Collective Work Order Cost (CollectiveWorkOrderCost.php).

Function: Shows total labor hours and costs booked to a specific job compared to the standard labor defined in the job’s Bill of Materials (BOM).

2. 2. Employee Labor / Timesheet Analysis

Path: Manufacturing / Payroll > Reports > Employee Labor Inquiry / Timesheet Summary.

Function: Displays total hours logged per employee over a selected date range. Useful for validating hours before processing external payroll.

3. 3. Custom PDF / CSV Exporting via Report Writer

If you require custom timesheet formatting (e.g., client billing, custom weekly employee sign-off sheets):

Go to Setup > Report Writer (ReportBuilder.php / reportwriter).

Query the timesheets and employees database tables to generate custom PDF reports or downloadable CSV files for spreadsheet analysis.