Timekeeping Becomes Mandatory in the EU

Back in May 2019, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled to make recording of employees’ working time mandatory. The ruling creates a system that enforces workers’ rights, specifically under the charter of fundamental rights and the EU's working time directive, the latter of which outlines maximum working hours as well as minimum daily and weekly rest periods for employees.

Without a system to record working hours, the ECJ said, employees could not reliably determine the length of their working hours or rest periods, making it "excessively difficult, if not impossible in practice, for workers to ensure that their rights are complied with."

So what does this actually mean for employers in the Member States?

Contrary to some concern, the ruling does not mean the reintroduction of the punch clocks of old. Modern-day time and attendance solutions are a powerful tool within any organisation. Not only can they help reduce wage costs for organisations, they can also help to protect employees from working too many hours. The key to successful implementation is choosing the right system for your business. One thing to ensure is that it must be simple-to-use, reliable and accurate in collecting time-keeping records and events. It must also be highly secure, as time and attendance or workforce management solutions will often hold significant amounts of personal data and are therefore subject to relevant legislation such as The Data Protection Act, and The General Data Protection Regulation.

At Thinking Software, we offer the perfect solution. RotaOne is our flexible workforce management system, and is available from just 75p per user/month! It can be purchased as a standalone system with various time recording devices from swipe-card, RFID and biometric terminals.

RotaOne allows you to meet the challenges of effective, cost-controlled staff planning, regardless of the size or nature of your business. Its flexibility and functionality give users at every level, the tools needed to reduce payroll costs and improve staffing efficiency. It offers the answer to the European Court of Justice’s ruling that ensures employees’ working time is recorded.