Why UK Construction Is Moving from Paper Timesheets to Digital Attendance Tracking

Paper timesheets may feel familiar, but they’re costing UK construction firms more than they realise.

Recent industry insights show that around 60% of construction businesses still rely on paper-based attendance sheets. Unfortunately, these outdated systems are prone to errors, deliberate “creative” entries, and even buddy punching, where one worker clocks in on behalf of another.

The result?

• Overpayments for hours that weren’t actually worked

• Lost or falsified timesheets that can’t be audited

• Payroll delays from manually chasing and entering data

• Compliance risks when accurate workforce records can’t be produced

One expert even describes manual sign-in sheets as a “fraud factory”, with no reliable audit trail and no way to ensure records are accurate.

In short, sticking with paper makes it hard to trust your attendance data and that impacts budgets, efficiency, and compliance.

The Move to Digital

Digital attendance solutions, like the TRAPPCO Attendance Module, provide construction firms with:

• Real-time, accurate records across all sites

• Instant visibility into who is on site and when

• Secure, audit-ready data that supports compliance

• Faster payroll processing and reduced admin

This shift isn’t just about convenience; it’s about building a Golden Thread of accurate information across your projects, something increasingly vital under the UK’s evolving building safety regulations.

Ready to move from paper to proof?

Click here to find out more about TRAPPCOs Attendance module