ECJ ruling obliges to record working time

In future, EU member states will be obliged to document employees' working hours. What at first seems like a time clock offers relief and entrepreneurial potential. For employers too.

Versino Financial Suite for SAP Business One Finance

Recording of working time becomes compulsory

In mid-May, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ordered the EU member states to Working time to be recorded. Previously, only overtime had to be officially documented, i.e. when the standard working hours were exceeded. To date, an employee may work a maximum of 48 hours and there must be a minimum of eleven hours break between working days. This regulation has long been criticised for the fact that it only makes sense to document overtime if working hours are also recorded. New legislation will now take effect here, which is due to come into force in Germany by the end of 2019.

A legal dispute over the recording of working hours

The new law was triggered by a legal dispute between a Spanish trade union and a branch of Deutsche Bank. The union demanded that working hours be documented to ensure compliance. However, there is no valid obligation to do so in Spanish law. The ECJ is now demanding comprehensive recording of working hours in order to guarantee employees' rights. As a result, all employers in EU member states are now obliged to systematically record working hours. Employers are free to decide how.

Progress instead of regression - with the right methodology

Perhaps This was also the reason why the media declared the judgement to be "outdated". Yet modern, i.e. software-controlled time recording offers many advantages for both sides: Employer and employee.

It is true that time clocks or paper documentation can be used to fulfil the requirements of the new law on working time recording. However, this wastes potential for corporate planning and management. In addition to reducing the workload of employees, resources can be utilised in a more targeted manner and services can be better invoiced.

Here you can find an article on the potential of software-controlled time recording.

Here is an article on the topic of resource managementwhich is based on the capacities of the employees.

SAP B1 blog