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Time Entry Incentives


Please take a moment to view some creative suggestions for incentives on getting billers to enter their time promptly.

After reviewing them all - vote for the entries you feel are: Most Creative, Most Practical; Most Likely to Succeed and Most "In Your Dreams." You are allowed to vote for four entries, and you can vote for one entry in more than one category.

We'll tally the votes and announce the winner. Prizes will be awarded in each category.
Entry #1

One procrastinating attorney would not "release" his DTE to accounting until the end of the month. While he was responsible only to himself and other partners, he wasn't successful. We told him that his secretary would get a small incentive as would he, if he posted his time DAILY. Now that he's responsible for her groceries, he's keying and releasing daily! We're two months into the "project" and it's working well. I believe there is a mix of fear and adoration between an attorney and their secretary! Glad we found the balance.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
 
Entry #2

1. Post the names of late time entry attorneys (with their pictures) on the front page of the firm's intranet site!! You could even make it funny, like the old Most Wanted posters in the Post Office!

2. Here's an idea for time entry that will work in firms that use security cards or badges. If the attorney passes the threshold of "late" (maybe the day after the first day of the following month), then deactivate the security badge! How embarrassing to have to go to security and say "I can't get in the door - my badge has been deactivated." The attorney, security, and many others would know why! Of course, you wouldn't want to do this over a weekend in case the attorney had to come in....but definitely do it when people are there to help, just like if they had lost their card!

My point - playful, harmless embarrassment, but embarrassment nonetheless, will get you everywhere with enforcing time entry!!

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #3

Being allowed to boast that you always have your time in early would be a major reward for time entry. I can envision a group of attorneys standing around boasting that "I have finished my time entry (of a prodigious number of billable hours) earlier than anyone else has ever done it!" "Oh yeah, well I had more time than you, and got it in earlier!"

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #4

Punishment for not entering time: (1) hold expense checks until current; (2) post the delinquent folks on the intranet; (3) institute monetary fines; or (4) force them to start entering their own time (no secretarial assistance) if delinquent 3 times (over a week, each time).

Incentives to keep time current: (1) special quarterly catered lunch (food is one of the best incentives) for those "good" people; (2) eligibility for drawings for prizes; or (3) bump them up the list for newer computer equipment.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #5

When we make partner distributions throughout the year, each partner's distribution will be adjusted according to his work-to-collection cycle. If a partner's WTC is equal to or better than our firm standard, they receive their full distribution. If a partner's WTC is lower than the standard, we reduce the distribution by a percentage commensurate with how far away from the standard he/she is. They will still get all of the money owed to them - but not until the end of the year. It's not punitive because the partners are not actually docked, but they are held accountable for their share of reduced cash flow - you get the cash when we get the cash.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #6

Create a screen saver or a screen everyone will see after log-in each day showing the attorneys' names and where they are in the process of submitting their time according to your firm's deadlines. The screen will have to be able to update itself routinely during the day. Make the screen creative and competitive! For instance, have jockeys on horses on the left margin with each attorney's name headed for the finish line (time entry deadline) on the right margin. The horses can move forward as they close out time each day. Make it a visual competition and public knowledge! Also on the page, have a shortcut icon for attorneys to click to go to their billing software to enter their time and move ahead in the race! Change the theme of the page periodically: e.g., running a race, race cars, javelin throwers. Have fun with it!

Have prizes for those who finish in the top percentage of the group. Be sure and make the prizes “unusual.” Think outside of the box: massage therapist at work or a car detailer in your parking garage. Have three levels of prizes: give a monthly prize for each person in that predetermined winning percentage of finishers and at the same time give each of them 5 tickets toward prizes in a drawing for each quarter and also 5 tickets to use in a drawing to occur once a year. Each quarter have "better" prizes and the winners of the previous months in that quarter can put their accumulated tickets toward one or any combination of prizes. Once a year have "great" prizes and then all the winners can again allocate their tickets however they wish toward the prizes (put all their accumulated tickets in to win one prize or divide them up).

Now, for those who do not meet the deadline for submitting their time:

The day after time was due, their race page will say something like "Sorry, you have lost the race and must enter time now!" (It will be great fun thinking of what you really want to say on that screen but can't!) They will then be FORCED to go to the time entry system and close a pre-determined amount of time before they can access any other programs on their computer each day. They will get this screen upon log-on until all time is closed for that period. They can have a shortcut to the current race page on the "Sorry" page also to hopefully see how much better they are doing in the current race!

In some law firms the secretaries help in time entry too, so don't forget including them in a prize system if they are involved!
Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #7

I'll tell you about the call I got from the managing partner at a firm I used to work for. His office was on the east coast, mine on the west. One morning quite early in the day (and in the month) he telephoned me and without preamble said "Can we get a naked-lady time entry program? We need SOME way to get these lawyers to get their time in on schedule."

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #8

Secretaries received a small monetary bonus (I think $25 per attorney) if their attorney got their time in on time. The secretaries rode herd on these guys, because that extra $75 meant something to them. It worked fairly well (until the attorney realized he or she could simply pay off their secretary).

One of the most effective solutions I've heard of was an E.D. who gave each attorney $50 in cash if they got their time in on time each month. My understanding is that at the end of the month he'd go to the bank and get a roll of $50 bills. Partners would line up outside his door to collect the cash. The value of the time entered and realized far exceeded the $50 per attorney it cost the Firm.

As far as "in your dreams", I haven't worked out all the details but I'm pretty sure the plan would involve the use of Klingon torture sticks.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #9

In my dreams...... I envision an incentive program where we reward timekeepers for getting their time in. Each month a winner will get an IPOD, a digital camera and etc. The year-end winner will get a vacation.

Point system for each time entry. The more entries the more points:

30-25 days before month end - 5 points
24-15 days before month end - 4 points
14-11 days before month end - 3 points
10-5 days before month end - 2 points
4-1 days before month end - 1 points
Late entries - Email from management

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #10

Do not distribute Attorneys'/Billers' pay checks until time entries are current.

Introduce a "points" system; if your time entries are late, you lose points.

Setup a small investment fund for Attorneys'/Billers' kids. The firm figures out how much it costs to get delinquent entries into the system, divides that by the number of Attorneys/Billers, and every time someone is current, their share of the savings is put into their kid's college fund. When they are late, a letter is sent to the children, grandparents and spouse noting the deviance and lack of future planning.

Charge Attorneys/Billers interest on the float they cause their firm to cover – not unlike paying interest on a Credit Card.

Make perfect time entry a requirement of becoming Partner.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #11

Fine each timekeeper (partner) $75 for each outstanding day of time more than two business days. Check once a week and fine them cumulatively (ex: Run report each Tuesday - see Atty A has five days total - subtract two and fine $75 x 3 days. Next week run report on Tuesday - see Atty A has 10 days total - subtract two and fine $75 x 8).

If the timekeeper is consistently late with timesheet entry (check at regular intervals - like every Monday, more than two business days outstanding), take that timekeeper off direct deposit. For partners, hold the check until the time is caught up. For employees (associates, paralegals) have them go to the Managing Partner to collect their check and explain why the time is late.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #12

Attorneys have 3 days from the day the work was performed to get their time in.

Every morning Accounting runs late time reports for attorneys missing time for the day of 3 working days prior. Accounting has a list of all attorneys along one side and the days of the month across the top. If their name appears on the report, then they get an "L" on that day. They are allowed 3 “Ls” per month. The 4th time they are late that month they get $50 deducted from their check; the 5th time they are late they get $75 deducted; the 6th time they are late they get $100 and so on. This eliminates attorneys waiting until the end of the month to input time. All time must be input by noon of the 1st day of the new month.

Legal Assistants are not penalized. However, we do keep track and it is discussed at review time. They are still required to have all time in by the end of the month.

Occasionally, we do have an attorney who tries to beat the system by putting just one small time entry in so their name does not appear on the report but accounting always catches them since we also run daily closed and open time reports.

At our firm, secretaries input attorney time and they are aware of the penalties and constantly remind the attorney if they are going to be late.

I can't even remember the last time we had a month in which attorneys did not have their time in.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #13

This really works! Like most of us, our attorneys have their paychecks directly deposited in their bank accounts. If they are tardy with their time over a certain period they lose direct deposit privileges and have to pick up their paycheck from the Executive Director who, before he gives them the check, lectures them on the business implications for the firm of their disappointing performance in this area. For partners, tardy time entry can carry more significant penalties, including a fine of a $1,000 per day until the time is updated. I don't believe that sanction has ever been invoked.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #14

We prepare a missing timesheet list twice a week for those who have five or more timesheets missing. For Partners, if you have more than five timesheets not entered, we hold your draw check until you get caught up. (Note: we distribute cash weekly to Partners if it is available, so this is somewhat effective.)

The missing timesheet list goes to department chairs and compensation committees. At the end of the compensation year, September for Partners and June for Associates, we prepare a summary as to how often a timekeeper appeared on these lists, sorted by the worst offenders to least. Then it becomes a part of the compensation process. All else being equal, if you do not do well in this administrative area of getting your timesheets in, you will get "dinged" in compensation.

It should be noted that we are located in an historical building that used to be a federal courthouse. During renovation, it was determined that we should keep the holding cell that previously housed prisoners before they were escorted into court, complete with bars and handcuffs. There have been many associates threatened to be sent to this holding cell until timesheets have been completed! It must be effective since I've never actually seen someone placed in the cell!

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
Entry #15

Let's face it - attorneys love to browse the Web. If asked, they'll tell you how important this capability is to their practice. A good look at the Web access logs would seem to indicate otherwise (unless ESPN or JennyCam are clients of the firm...). I believe that an effective and immediate way to encourage good timekeeping practices would be to restrict Web access if time input is behind more than a set number of days (e.g., four). Any attempt to access a Website would be redirected to the firms Web-based time entry application. Once time is caught up to an acceptable point (let's make this one day), Web access is immediately and automatically restored. IMHO, lack of Web access will not adversely affect one's practice (although a short list of truly necessary Websites could be excepted from the restrictions). This is a carrot and stick approach. The "carrot" is getting and keeping Web privileges, the "stick" is having to catch up all the way to the prior day if you slip past the four day (for instance) grace period.

Most Creative
Most Practical
Most Likely to Succeed
Most "In Your Dreams"
     
     
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