Time Tracking for Lattice: What It Does & What to Verify

Time tracking for Lattice is the process of syncing employee work hours from a time-tracking tool (like Toggl, Harvest, or Clockify) into Lattice, the performance management platform, so that managers can see time data alongside goals, reviews, and 1:1s. What you need to verify is that the integration is correctly mapping users, projects, and time ranges, and that the data being pulled is accurate and complete before it influences performance conversations. This article explains what the integration actually does, what to check during setup, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Background: Why Lattice Added Time Tracking

Lattice is primarily a performance management system—it handles OKRs, performance reviews, employee engagement surveys, and career development. It was never designed to be a stopwatch. However, HR and people teams wanted a single dashboard that showed both what an employee accomplished and how long it took. So Lattice built integrations with popular time-tracking tools. The goal is not to replace your time tracker, but to pull its data into Lattice so that managers can spot burnout (e.g., someone logging 60-hour weeks), see if a project is eating more hours than planned, or use time data as context in a performance review.

How the Lattice Time Tracking Integration Works

The integration is a one-way sync: your time-tracking tool is the source of truth, and Lattice reads from it. You connect the two via an API or a native integration (Lattice supports Toggl, Harvest, and Clockify directly; other tools can work via Zapier or similar). Once connected, Lattice imports time entries—usually at the user, project, and date level. You can then view a team member’s hours in their Lattice profile or in a manager dashboard. The sync frequency is typically set to run every few hours or manually triggered, depending on the integration.

Here is what actually gets transferred:

• User mapping: The time-tracking account email must match the Lattice user email. If they don’t match, entries won’t appear.
• Time entries: Each entry’s date, duration, and project/task label come over.
• Project/task names: These become tags or custom fields in Lattice.
• Billable status: In some integrations, whether an entry is billable is also imported.

What to Verify During Setup

Setting up the integration is straightforward, but verifying it is where most issues arise. Before you trust the data in Lattice, check these five things:

1. Email matching: Go to your time-tracking tool and export a list of user emails. Compare them to Lattice’s user list. Every email must be identical (case-sensitive). If an employee changed their name or email, the sync will silently fail for that person.
2. Time zone handling: Time entries are stored in the time-tracking tool’s time zone. If your team works across time zones, verify that Lattice is displaying the correct local time. A common bug is that an entry logged at 9:00 AM in New York appears as 3:00 PM in Lattice for a London-based manager.
3. Project/task mapping: If you use projects in Toggl, for example, check that the project names appear correctly in Lattice. Sometimes the integration only brings the task description, not the project name. Decide which one you want to use for reporting.
4. Date range: Confirm that the sync pulls historical data (e.g., last 90 days) or only new entries. If you need past data for a review cycle, you may need to trigger a backfill.
5. Deactivated users: When an employee leaves, their time entries should still appear in Lattice for archival purposes, but they should not appear in active dashboards. Verify that the integration handles deactivated users correctly—some tools stop syncing their data entirely.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

The most frequent issues are:

• Missing entries: If a user’s time entries don’t show up, first check email mapping. Then check if the time-tracking tool has a “workspaceâ€� concept—Lattice may only sync entries from the default workspace, not all workspaces.
• Duplicate entries: If you have multiple integrations running (e.g., both a native integration and a Zapier webhook), you may see double-counted hours. Disable all but one sync method.
• Slow sync: Some integrations only refresh every 6 hours. If you need real-time data, you might need to manually trigger a sync or use a third-party automation that runs more frequently.
• Rounding differences: Time trackers often round to the nearest 15 minutes. Lattice will display the rounded value. If you need exact minutes, disable rounding in your time tracker.

How to Choose the Right Time Tracker for Lattice

If you haven’t picked a time tracker yet, consider these factors:

• Native integration: Lattice has pre-built integrations with Toggl, Harvest, and Clockify. These are easier to set up and less likely to break than custom API calls.
• Project hierarchy: If your team works on multiple clients or projects, choose a tracker that supports projects and tasks, not just a simple timer.
• Approval workflow: Some trackers (like Harvest) have an approval step where managers approve timesheets. If you use that, decide whether Lattice should show only approved hours or all logged hours. The integration typically pulls all entries, regardless of approval status.
• Offline support: If your team travels or has poor connectivity, make sure the tracker has a mobile app that works offline and syncs later. Otherwise, time entries may be missed.

Costs and Alternatives

Lattice itself does not charge extra for the time tracking integration—it’s included in the platform. However, the time-tracking tool you choose will have its own cost. Toggl, Clockify, and Harvest all have free tiers for small teams, with paid plans that add features like project billing and reporting. If you want to avoid a separate time tracker altogether, Lattice has a basic built-in time-off tracker, but it does not track hours worked. Alternatives to using Lattice’s integration include exporting time data manually (CSV upload) or using a third-party middleware like Zapier to connect a tracker that Lattice doesn’t natively support. Manual exports are error-prone and not recommended for regular use.

Data Accuracy and Privacy Considerations

Time tracking data is sensitive. Before syncing, decide who in Lattice can see hours. Lattice’s permission settings allow you to restrict time data to managers or HR only. Also, be aware that the integration may store time entries on Lattice’s servers, which means you should review Lattice’s data processing agreement to ensure it complies with your company’s privacy policies (e.g., GDPR). If you have unionized employees or strict labor laws, consult legal before using time data in performance reviews—some jurisdictions restrict using time tracking for disciplinary purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lattice track time natively?

No, Lattice does not have a built-in stopwatch or timesheet feature. It only displays time data that comes from an external time-tracking tool via integration. If you don’t connect a tracker, you won’t see any hours in Lattice.

Can I see a team member’s time entries in their Lattice profile?

Yes, if you have the right permissions, you can view an individual’s time entries on their profile page. The entries are usually shown as a list or a weekly summary, depending on the integration. You can also see a team dashboard if your plan includes manager analytics.

What happens if an employee changes their email in the time tracker?

The sync will break for that user until you update the email in Lattice to match. Lattice does not automatically detect email changes. You’ll need to manually update the user’s email in Lattice or re-map the integration.

Can I sync historical time data from before the integration was set up?

It depends on the time tracker. Toggl and Harvest allow you to pull past data via their API, so you can often backfill the last 90 days or more. Clockify also supports historical sync. However, Lattice’s native integration may only pull data from the moment you connect. You may need to use an API script to import older entries.

Does the integration work with multiple time trackers at once?

Technically, you can connect more than one tracker to Lattice, but it’s not recommended. If two trackers have entries for the same person on the same day, you’ll see duplicate hours. Stick to one tracker for consistency.

Why are some time entries showing as “uncategorized�?

This happens when the time entry has no project or task assigned in the time tracker. Lattice cannot infer a category, so it labels it as “uncategorized.� To fix it, ensure your team always assigns a project/task before logging time.

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