Whose responsibility is it to record hours?

It's a question I get fairly often -- who records the hours after a transaction (also referred to as an exchange) has taken place?

The answer is ... either one of you.

As you end the transaction and say goodbye after you've raked someone's leaves or they've helped you set up your new printer, just ask, "Would you like me to record the hours in Community Weaver?" Make the arrangements then, and then there is no question about whether it will get done.

Remember that transactions need to be recorded by the 7th of the following month, so that they are included in the monthly numbers that are sent on to the FSR Board. If you have an ongoing project where someone earns TD$ each month for several months, recording them all at once throws off the numbers for a month OR, if you still record them as separate transactions, adds numbers to months whose reports have already been finalized and presented to the board. In that case it is almost like the transaction never happened, because we do not go back and re-do reports.

Either of the parties involved in the transaction may record it. Both parties should receive a notification email that details the transaction, the hours exchanged, and the date the exchange took place. If anything looks wrong to you, please don't hesitate to email timetrader@familyservicerochester.org to ask the Coordinator to look it over and make any necessary changes. We can edit transactions easily, and in almost 4 years there has been no case where a Time Trader recorded a transaction and was deliberately dishonest, although mistakes have been made by accident. In each case, the mistake was easily rectified and new emails sent by the system to indicate that changes were made in the transaction.

Bottom line? SOMEBODY needs to record the hours in a timely fashion. If, for some reason, you thought that your trading partner was going to do it but they haven't, follow up. Check with them. Or just record the transaction yourself. It is important that hours be recorded and included in the month in which the transaction occurred. I know I sound like a broken record, but ultimately, it is the NUMBERS that tell our story, so your cooperation in ensuring that transactions are recorded is much appreciated.

As always, if you have further questions about this, or about any issue within the timebank, contact the Coordinator at timetrader@familyservicerochester.org .