Case study · Workflow automation
How a Sydney hire company automated crew timesheets and weekly pay
Pay is now worked out automatically every week. The owner checks and approves it from his phone in a few minutes.
- Client: a Sydney hire company
- Industry: equipment hire
- Result: live within two weeks and running every week since October 2026
At a glance
- Client
- A Sydney hire company
- Industry
- Equipment hire
- Services
- Workflow automation, Google Workspace scripting, staff app setup, training and handover
- Timeline
- Live within two weeks, running every week since October 2026
- Tools
- Connecteam time clock app, Google Sheets, Google Apps Script, Google Drive, Telegram
The challenge
The business runs a crew of subcontractors across two kinds of work: warehouse jobs like loading, unloading and cleaning, and on site jobs setting up and packing down for customers. One person can work several jobs in a single day.
Hours were tracked by hand, and working out pay each week was a manual job for the owner. The pay rules made it slow to get right:
- different rates by job type and by worker
- a higher Saturday rate, plus Sunday and public holiday rates
- a one hour unpaid break on longer days
- travel paid only when driving between two job sites, not from home or the warehouse
- every shift linked to the invoice number for the job, so labour could be matched to each job
The owner travels regularly and needed the whole thing to run without him.
What I built
A time clock app for the crew
The crew uses Connecteam on their phones. They pick the job, clock in and out with GPS location, and enter the invoice number for each job. The invoice number is a required field. It runs on Connecteam's free small business plan, so there's no per user subscription.
A weekly shift report
Each week the app sends the shift report automatically to a dedicated payroll mailbox.
A payroll calculator in Google Sheets
A custom Google Apps Script picks up the report and applies the right rate for each worker, job and day type: weekday, Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. It takes off the unpaid break on days of 5 hours or more and groups everything into a Saturday to Friday pay week.
A pay summary email every Saturday
Total hours and pay for each worker, a list of anything to check before paying (missing invoice numbers, missed clock outs, jobs with no rate) and a day by day breakdown showing exactly where the hours come from.
The same summary on Telegram
Each worker's breakdown sits in a collapsible section, so the owner can check pay on his phone without opening email.
A Friday reminder
On Friday afternoon a reminder goes out to approve hours before pay is calculated.
Simple corrections
Fix the hours in the app, drop a new export into a shared Google Drive folder, and an UPDATED summary arrives within the hour.
Alerts if something goes wrong
If a weekly report doesn't arrive or something fails, I get an alert automatically.
Training and handover
A handover guide for the owner, and a step by step guide with screenshots for the crew.
- Worker B, Thu 5 Nov: missed clock out
- Worker C, Tue 3 Nov: no invoice number
Totals
| Worker | Hours | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Worker A | 31.5 | $1,134.00 |
| Worker B | 29.0 | $1,036.50 |
| Worker C | 24.0 | $851.00 |
Worker A, day by day
| Sat 31 Oct | Warehouse loading · INV 1041 | 5.0 |
| 6.0 h, less 1.0 h break, Saturday rate | ||
| Mon 2 Nov | On site setup · INV 1042 | 8.5 |
| 9.5 h, less 1.0 h break | ||
| Tue 3 Nov | Warehouse cleaning · INV 1043 On site takedown · INV 1044 | 6.0 |
| 3.0 h + 4.0 h, less 1.0 h break | ||
| Thu 5 Nov | On site setup · INV 1045 | 4.5 |
| Under 5 h, no break | ||
| Fri 6 Nov | Warehouse unloading · INV 1046 | 7.5 |
| 8.5 h, less 1.0 h break | ||
Pay summary, Sat 31 Oct to Fri 6 Nov
3 workers · 84.5 hrs · $3,021.50
2 to check before paying
- Worker B, Thu: missed clock out
- Worker C, Tue: no invoice number
Worker A31.5 h · $1,134.00
Mon · INV 1042 · 8.5 h
Tue · INV 1043, 1044 · 6.0 h
Thu · INV 1045 · 4.5 h
Fri · INV 1046 · 7.5 h
Worker B29.0 h · $1,036.50
Mon · INV 1042 · 8.5 h
Wed · INV 1047 · 7.0 h
Thu · INV 1045 · 8.5 h (check clock out)
Worker C24.0 h · $851.00
Wed · INV 1047 · 7.0 h
Fri · INV 1046 · 9.5 h
How it works each week
-
During the weekThe crew clocks in and out
On their phones, for each job, with the invoice number.
-
Friday afternoonReminder to approve hours
Hours are approved before pay is calculated.
-
AutomaticallyShift report sent
The app emails the week's shift report to the payroll mailbox.
-
AutomaticallyPay is calculated
Rates, day types and breaks are applied across the Saturday to Friday week.
-
Saturday morningSummary arrives
By email and Telegram, with anything to check listed first.
Need to fix something? Correct the hours in the app, drop a new export into the shared Drive folder, and an UPDATED summary arrives within the hour.
The results
- Live within two weeksAnd running every week since October 2026.
- Pay is worked out automaticallyEvery hour traces back to a job, a date and an invoice number.
- Checked from a phoneThe owner checks and approves pay from his phone in a few minutes.
- No per user feesNo monthly per user fees for the time clock app.
Paying a crew from paper timesheets or spreadsheets? Let's automate it.
Tell me how hours and pay are worked out now, and I'll show you what can run on its own.