# Add labor information

Labor costs refer to the expenses incurred for the time and effort of technicians or workers involved in executing a work order. Accurately tracking and accounting for labor costs is crucial for several reasons:

1. Realistic Cost Estimation: By capturing all labor costs associated with a work order, organizations can develop more accurate cost estimates for future maintenance projects, leading to better budgeting and resource allocation.
2. Profitability Analysis: Labor costs directly impact the profitability of a work order. Tracking these costs allows for better analysis of job profitability and identification of areas for process optimization.
3. Billing and Payroll: For service providers, labor costs are directly tied to billing clients. For internal teams, they impact payroll calculations.

Common Use Cases for Adding Labor

Some common scenarios where labor costs may need to be added to a work order in Atlas CMMS include:

• Additional technician hours required due to unforeseen complications or scope changes
• Overtime hours worked to complete a time-sensitive task
• Specialized labor or expertise needed for specific maintenance activities
• Travel time for technicians to reach remote job sites

Adding Labor to a Work Order

To add labor costs, the user would click on the "Add Time" button under the "Labors" section.

Here, the user can enter the following details:

• Assigned To: The technician or worker responsible for the labor hours being added.
• Hourly Rate: The hourly rate or cost associated with the assigned technician or worker.
• Include this time in the total time: This toggle switch determines whether the labor time should be included in the overall work order duration or not.
  • Use Case for Including: If the labor time directly contributes to the completion of the work order, it should be included in the total time to accurately reflect the overall duration.
  • Use Case for Excluding: If the labor time is for administrative or support tasks that do not directly contribute to the work order completion, it can be excluded from the total time.
• Work Started At: The date and time when the labor effort began.
• Category: The category or type of labor being added. Refer to the "Labor Categories" chapter for a list of predefined categories in Atlas CMMS.
• Duration: The total duration of the labor effort, specified in hours and minutes.

After entering all the relevant details, the user can click "Add" to save the labor cost.