The Definitive Buyer’s Guide to Time Tracking for the Energy and Utilities Sectors

Choosing the Right System to Fuel Efficiency — from Field Service Teams to Back Office

In energy, utilities, and oil & gas, precision isn’t just important — it’s everything. Whether you’re managing field crews in remote environments, coordinating large-scale infrastructure projects, or wrangling compliance for NESC, FERC, or union mandates, the right time tracking solution can drive measurable gains across your operations.

This guide breaks down what to look for in a time tracking system that fits the complex, high-stakes needs of your industry — including features that streamline field service tracking, back-office workflows, project costing, and compliance.

Step One: Understand the Real Needs Behind the Time

• Do your field teams struggle with manual or delayed time entry?
• Are you missing key cost data for project billing, job costing, or government contracts?
• Do your back-office teams spend hours reconciling errors, tracking down timesheets, or managing spreadsheets?

Get input from across departments — including project managers, field operations, engineering, HR, accounting, and compliance. Common goals include:

• Real-time visibility into field hours and equipment usage
• Automated labor cost allocation for jobs or capital projects
• Compliance tracking (union rules, local wage laws, FERC standards, NESC audit trails)
• Seamless integration with ERP and payroll systems, along with business intelligence tools

What Field and Back-Office Teams Need from Time Tracking

Field Services

• Mobile Access: Field crews need to clock in/out on mobile, with limited network access or offline if needed
• GPS or Geolocation Tags: Confirm where and when work was performed, automate job/time tracking based on location
• Wage Laws: Ensure compliance with local wage rules and break requirement
• Automated Time Capture: Integrate with calendar apps or service logs to eliminate manual entry

Back Office

• Labor Cost Allocation: Track time to cost centers, capital projects, jobs, or work orders
• Multi-Level Approvals: Support matrixed approval chains with automated workflows
• Compliance Ready: State and federal wage laws, union rules, and audit-ready recordkeeping
• ERP & Payroll Integration: Connect directly to systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, or ADP

5 Must-Have Features for Energy and Utilities

1. Real-Time Reporting: Live dashboards and audit trails support agile operations
   1. Flexible native list/visual reports with access to all the data you need
   2. Easy data portability to 3rd party BI tools and data warehouses
   3. Shareable reporting across platforms for a variety of stakeholders
2. Configurable Business Rules: Eliminate errors and tailor workflows
   1. Custom rules to ensure employees can’t save time with mistakes
   2. Assistance with daily employee time entry, required breaks, etc
   3. Alerts for supervisory approvers of exceptions in submitted timesheet
   4. Payroll regulation support for specific work patterns and local rules 
3. Project/Job & Asset-Level Tracking: Essential for capital project and maintenance accountability
   1. Project planning, forecasting, and costing for on-time/on-budget delivery 
   2. Detailed work breakdown structure for task work and actuals tracking 
   3. Robust project reporting for status, risks, and profitability analysis
4. Role-Based Interfaces and Permissions: Field techs, managers, and finance teams get what they need
   1. Mobile, web, and crew entry to fit the specific employee needs 
   2. Different time entry requirements (e.g. in/out times versus project hours only) by employee type 
   3. All types of time entry on one screen (project hours, service orders, overhead, leave time
5. Enterprise Security & Uptime: Know that your data is secure and that the system is available when you need it
   1. 99.9% uptime backed by Amazon Web Services availability
   2. SOC 1 SSAE 21 Type II annual audit

Partnering for the Long Haul

• Industry Experience: Proven success in energy, utilities, and oil & gas
• Implementation Support: Agile onboarding tailored to your workflows and timeline
• Scalable Architecture: Flex as your workforce grows or decentralizes
• Dedicated Account Management: One contact who gets your business

Final Thought: Time Tracking That Powers Smarter Projects

Time tracking isn’t just about compliance — it’s about clarity. When your field and back-office teams have the right tools, you can:

• Reduce project overruns
• Improve billing accuracy and timeliness
• Allocate labor more efficiently
• Meet regulatory standards
• Make better business decisions — faster

“If your current system can’t keep pace with the complexity of your workforce or the stakes of your industry, it’s time to upgrade.”

Explore how Journyx helps energy, utilities, and oil & gas leaders modernize time tracking — and make every hour count.

Want to do a self-assessment of your needs for a new time tracking system? Fill out the form to the right to get your own personal copy of the companion checklist to use in your solution discovery.