Since 2019, companies have been officially required by the law to use a suitable time recording system to document employees’ working hours. Such systems record working time to the minute and store it in an installed system. The data is later usable for payroll accounting in the HR department. In addition to working and break times, vacation days, training times, absences, or overtime are also documented and recognized. Errors can also be detected and corrected much more quickly when utilizing time recording software. Therefore, it is important that companies comprehensively deal with the advantages of attendance and time recording.
Advantages of Employee Time Recording
Often, time and attendance are equated with surveillance, which affects the trust relationship between employer and employee. However, the measurement of working time has many advantages, especially for employees. They are paid fairly according to their performance, and no errors occur. As a rule, time measurement is adapted and tailored to the needs and wishes of each company. Therefore, both employers and employees should consider the benefits of time and attendance.
1. Fairness
Time and attendance allow each employee to be treated equally and paid according to the hours they work. Overtime is quickly recorded and can be compensated, ensuring compensation for overtime. This leads to more equal treatment and fairness within a company, and no one is disadvantaged.
2. Transparency
Employees and employers have direct views of overtime, minus hours, days absent, break times or remaining vacation. This also improves the planning possibilities of the employees, and all data can be seen directly.
3. Quick Use of the Data
The time sheet data is seen immediately and digitally, not like an analog time sheet. As a result, this can be used directly for payroll, and there are no mountains of paper accumulating at the HR department.
4. Avoid Conflicts
Studies prove that motivation and creativity among employees, as well as the working atmosphere, increase significantly when working hours are not controlled. However, conflicts arise primarily when employees feel that their working hours are being exploited. Such accusations are countered by recording working hours. The good thing is that no matter what digital software is used, both employees and workers always have access to employees’ working hours and data.
5. Show Different Working Time Models
All employees operating outside of the full-time work model cannot avoid working time measurement. This includes all part-time workers, mini-jobbers, and other short-term employees who earn more than the statutory minimum wage. Many then use a suitable app for time recording so that there are no violations of working hours and the minimum wage law. If the maximum number of working hours is reached, the app or software sends a signal and notifies employees or management. Alternatively, a legally compliant logging of the times is also possible so that everyone complies with the Working Hours Act.
6. Improving the Work-Life Balance
Studies and research conducted in recent years show that a large proportion of people work far too much than too little. This explains the increase in illnesses, such as burnout or mental illness. However, it is clear here that workers often decide independently and on their own responsibilities that they increase the amount of work in order to be able to complete all tasks. In other words, time recording shows that many employees are accumulate significantly too many hours of work, thereby increasing their own workloads. Employers can then intervene and try to reduce the amount of tasks or extend the hand-in times so that the work-life balance is restored.
