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Flexible working time tracking: Law, Models & Tools

Discover everything about flexible working time recording in our blog post: from the legal framework and innovative tools to the benefits for your employees and your company.

Tanja Hartmann
Content Marketing Managerin
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There is an increasing focus on flexible working time models. ZEP allows you to define core working hours, break regulations and special times in order to meet the individual requirements of your employees & legal regulations.

Flexible working time tracking: What does the law say?

In Germany, there are complex laws and working time regulations that you can use when implementing flexible working time models — such as flexitime — Must pay attention. The following applies: Section 3 regulates working hours. Basically, 8 hours of daily work can be assumed here. Exception: You may work 10 hours a day if the average working time — over a period of 6 months or 24 weeks — is 8 hours per working day.

The corresponding Break times Are set out in § 4. According to this, the following applies: a break of at least 30 minutes if you work more than 6 hours or a break of at least 45 minutes if you work more than 9 hours. Break time is not the same Rest period, which is regulated in § 5 Is: After the end of daily working hours, an uninterrupted rest period of at least 11 hours must be maintained!

Statutory regulations on overtime, rest periods and working time restrictions must be complied with in any case if you Fines of up to 30,000 euros Want to avoid. Companies that Violate the Working Hours Act, can be subject to fines. The exact amount depends on various factors, such as the seriousness of the infringement, the number of employees affected, and whether the infringement was repeated. According to Section 23 ArbZG, employers may even face imprisonment of up to one year if they persistently repeat an infringement.

Flexible working time tracking: How is this possible with the legal situation & working time regulations?

Accurate recording of working hours is crucial in order to comply with working time agreements. Since BAG ruling from September 2022 There is an obligation to record working time, even in flexible working time models. Manual time recording is prone to errors and can lead to incorrect billing. A new BMAS bill Requires employers to record daily working hours electronically. Our software for Time recording Meets all legal requirements, with exceptions for companies in accordance with collective or works agreements and those with fewer than 10 employees.

ZEP: Your solution for digital time tracking software & flexible working hours

As you can see, flexible working time models are becoming increasingly important in the modern working world, as they enable your employees to better balance work and private life. ZEP can be seamlessly adapted to your working time models. Like that? ZEP can be configured to meet the needs of your employees and also your company policies.

Let us now look at this in detail:

Flexible standard working hours for flexible working time models

ZEP supports all working time models in your company, including 6/7-day weeks, part-time with variable working hours, and night work. You can set working hours per day or month and define individual working days and times for each employee, whether full time, part time or night work. ZEP dynamically calculates the standard working time per day based on the parameters. By default, the standard working time stored in the master data is used, which exactly represents the employment contract. Changes in the working time model can be provided with a “valid from” date and monthly hour limits and break regulations can be optionally integrated. In this way, ZEP offers full flexibility in managing complex working time models, even when changes occur.

Flexible break arrangements

In ZEP, you can define break regulations to ensure compliance with legal break regulations. These regulations make it possible to set minimum rest periods and maximum working hours per day. ZEP shows whether your employees comply with the prescribed rest periods, minimum breaks and core working hours and activates warnings if they do not comply. It is important to set the legal minimum length of a break and the minimum breaks for various periods of working time:


ℹ️ 30 minute break if you work for 6 to 9 hours and at least 45 minutes if you work more than 9 hours. Breaks of less than 15 minutes are not considered a break, unless collective agreements or works agreements provide otherwise.




Special Times & Time Supplements

In ZEP, you can define “special internal times,” which represent individual time periods within the working hours of your employees and display them in the end-of-month evaluation. Make sure to set the time periods carefully, especially when working at night in accordance with § 6 ArbZG. The evaluation shows a “night time” column for working hours between 11 PM and 6 AM. ZEP also allows time surcharges to be taken into account for special periods such as holidays. You can define times with surcharges, such as “Public holidays from 0:00 to 6:00 with a 50% surcharge.” If you work on a public holiday with a 100% surcharge during this period, the result is a total surcharge of 150%. The end of month analysis shows separate columns for time surcharges and the total sum of the surcharges.

Flexible working time tracking: All benefits at a glance

Flexible working time recording offers numerous advantages: It enables accurate and efficient recording of variable working hours, reduces billing errors and ensures compliance with legal requirements. It also supports various working time models such as part-time, shift work and night work, which allows working hours to be individually adjusted. This flexibility makes administration easier and increases employee satisfaction.

Is the combination of working time tracking and trust-based working hours the future?

Trust in employees is becoming increasingly important. Modern working methods show that Productive work is also possible in a decentralized man Is supported by Workforce Management Solutions and Video Conferencing Tools. Flexibility in working hours and place of work is more important for many employees than trust-based working hours. A detailed Working time recording With ZEP, it is useful to always keep track of hours worked and benefits and to meet the requirements of the Working Hours Act.

Conclusion

Flexible working time recording is playing an increasingly important role in the modern working world in order to meet legal requirements and the individual needs of employees. By using tools such as ZEP, companies can react flexibly to various working time models while ensuring compliance with legal requirements. This includes the precise recording of working hours, breaks and special periods, as well as compliance with rest periods and the consideration of time supplements. Digital time recording minimizes errors and makes administration easier, which leads to higher employee satisfaction.

FAQ

What is trust-based working time?

Trusted working time is a working time model in which employees can organise their working hours independently and flexibly, without detailed time recording. The focus is on fulfilling tasks and goals, not on time spent in the office.

What does flexible annual working time mean?

Flexible annual working hours enable employees to flexibly arrange their working hours throughout the year. This involves agreeing on a specific number of hours or days per year, which can be worked as required by employees and the company.

What is a flexible working time account?

A flexible working time account records the hours worked by employees and makes it possible to accumulate overtime or to compensate for minus hours. These hours can later be used for time off work, vacation or during peak hours to enable flexible organization of working hours.

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