If you don't track your own shifts, you're trusting that every employer always gets it right — and underpayment is more common than most workers think. Keeping your own record is the simplest insurance you can have, and it takes seconds per shift.
What to record for every shift
- Date and the job/employer.
- Start and finish time (and any unpaid break).
- Your rate, including night/weekend penalty rates.
- Total hours and expected pay.
Why spreadsheets break down
- One wrong formula silently miscalculates every row after it.
- They don't handle penalty rates or shifts crossing midnight well.
- Editing on your phone between shifts is painful.
- No reminders, no automatic weekly/monthly totals.
Example — the error a spreadsheet hides
Maya logs a Sunday shift but forgets to apply the 1.5× rate in her sheet, recording it at the base $28 instead of $42. Her spreadsheet "balances" and looks correct — so when the employer also underpays that shift, nothing flags it. She’s out $84 and never notices. A system that knows your Sunday rate would have caught it instantly.
A better system
The fix is a tool that knows your rates, applies penalties automatically, totals your weeks and months, and lives on your phone. Log the shift once and the maths — and the cross-check against your payslip — happens for you.
Track every shift in seconds and catch pay mistakes automatically.
Try Orary free