Zemke and the Crew

The Friday Hunt

Chasing crew timesheets on a Friday afternoon

· #01

Three-panel comic. Friday 4:55 pm: the owner, Gail, asks Kev the koala where his timesheet is and he guesses it's in the ute or the esky. Zemke the emu searches everywhere and finds nothing. Plot twist: Zemke shows Gail's ZimQi chat, where a message reads '⏳ Kev checked out (6h 35m on Harbour St). Approve when ready.' Gail has already tapped Approve: the buttons are gone, '✅ Approved' sits as a plain line under the message, and a new message follows: '✅ Approved timesheet for Kev.' Gail says 'Approved before knock-off? Righto. Early mark, then.'

The problem in this strip

How do I stop chasing timesheets every Friday? By knock-off half the crew can't remember where they wrote their hours, and I'm the one ringing round before the bookkeeper needs them.

What ZimQi really does

When a crew member checks out, their approver gets a message in their ZimQi chat on Telegram, for example '⏳ Kev checked out (6h 35m on Harbour St). Approve when ready.', with ✅ Approve and ❌ Reject buttons. Tapping Approve shows a quick 'Approved ✅' toast, the buttons disappear and '✅ Approved' is added under the message, then ZimQi confirms in a new message: '✅ Approved timesheet for Kev.'

ZimQi is now in early-access beta testing. Crew use Telegram.

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Panel by panel

Panel 1: Friday, 4:55 pm

Kev the koala on site, thumbs up, holding a clipboard.

Gail (off-panel): KEV! Where's your timesheet?

Kev: In the ute. Or the esky. Definitely one of them.

Panel 2: 4:58 pm

Zemke the emu scratches his head, holding an empty clipboard.

Zemke: Checked the ute, the esky and the dog's bed.

Zemke: Not even a pie receipt.

Panel 3: Plot twist: Gail's phone

Zemke the emu sits on his red toolbox holding his phone. A chat screen from Gail's ZimQi chat sits in the middle. Gail the giraffe stands on the right, thumbs up.

Zemke: Oh wait. It's been in your chat since 3:30.

Gail: Approved before knock-off? Righto. Early mark, then.

Strip footer: Crew check out on Telegram. Approvers approve or reject right in the chat.

Characters, sites, names and chat messages are made up. Chat screens are illustrative examples, not screenshots.

Questions about this strip

Who sees the hours when someone checks out?

Their approver. The approver gets a Telegram message such as '⏳ Kev checked out (6h 35m on Harbour St). Approve when ready.', with Approve and Reject buttons.

Does the worker hear back when their hours are approved?

Yes, at the final approval step, if they have Telegram linked: '✅ Your timesheet for 23/10/2026 at Harbour St was approved.' Earlier steps in an approval chain don't message the worker.

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