No more prejudices, time for advantages!
Workers on construction sites fill out timesheets every dayin which they enter when they start work and when they finish work. This is always a bit annoying, prone to errors – and at the end of the month, the payroll department is really stressed. This is because all timesheets must be available by the end of the month, otherwise wages cannot be paid on time. But no matter how confusing the paperwork is, every change to the system causes uncertainty among the workforce.
By the way: At the end of the article, we have summarized the 5 biggest advantages for employees for you.
Für viele alltägliche Aufgaben gibt es digitale Lösungen, die viel Zeit sparen. Ein Beispiel ist die App 123erfasst.
Prejudice 1: Constant monitoring
The biggest concern with digital Time tracking is increased monitoring. The boss of a construction company (around 25 employees) told us about one employee’s fear: “Working time tracking turns me into a transparent fitter – and I’m constantly being monitored!”
Many employees feel under pressure when they imagine being monitored throughout the day via the digital tracker in their pocket. Employees often assume that after the introduction of a digital Time tracking via smartphone not only know when they started in the morning on which construction site and when they finish work, but that they become completely transparent.
Individual toilet breaks or a quick trip to the bakery are tracked digitally just as little as with manual timesheets.
No one records when you go to the toilet
The moment employees log in and out, this action is saved together with the GPS coordinate. Only then does the app also record the corresponding geo-coordinates. However, it does not record any movement profiles. The GPS-Feature helps to manually assign recorded times to a project. This is because the system knows that these coordinates can only belong to this one construction site – bang, linked! Of course, your employees can also manually assign their times to a construction site. And there’s one fear you should allay right from the start: They can always add times if they forget to start the app.
Get a declaration of consent from your employees
Basically, working time tracking is comparable to a digital time clock. However, there is currently no case law on this. To protect yourself legally, you should therefore have each employee certify that they agree to you recording their working hours digitally.
Prejudice 2: Digital Time tracking is so much work
“So I have to enter everything in the app every day?” Yes. But in the end, it’s less time-consuming than filling in and handing in timesheets. What’s more: As a rule, companies use the Time tracking app to a relatively limited extent anyway. On 80-90 percent of construction sites, the foreman or supervisor records the working times of the entire crew. Apps for Time tracking such as 123onsite generally allow each employee to be responsible for their own Time tracking, but most companies have one employee do this for the whole team. As the managing director, you decide which approach is right for you.
Working time tracking offers transparency and automatically books times where they actually belong.
Prejudice 3: Digitalization is too complicated for me
Filling in slips of paper is no great art, everyone is used to it, it’s easy and convenient. Sure, sometimes they get lost or dirty and then there’s a lot of drama, but we’re already familiar with that. Digital solutions, on the other hand, are new territory for some team members. It helps to get digitally savvy colleagues on board and explain the software to them first. They can then help their colleagues. Basically, you should make sure you choose an intuitive system that is so simple that no one can actually resist it.
Of course, employees can view and check their own hours account online at any time.
Prejudice 4: Work app on your private smartphone? That can’t go well
Whether the private smartphone or company devices are used is different in every company. At the umbrella company Prange, for example, the boss pays an allowance towards the monthly smartphone bill if the private equipment is used for this purpose. The entire team is very happy with this. The basic rule is that the app cannot access data from other apps. The company therefore does not have access to WhatsApp histories or smartphone photos.
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More InformationPrejudice 5: Then I’m no longer as flexible
Employees’ fears that they will no longer be able to complete a task on another construction site are unfounded. On the contrary: all activities can be clearly assigned digitally immediately. This means it is documented that on day X, employee Y worked again on construction site Z.
How to break down prejudices
You want a digital time recording system introduce – for example with a smartphone app? Then closely accompany the changeover. If you as an entrepreneur are transparent in all directions during the changeover and discuss the plans with your employees, it is best to take them along with you in the new development. What helps your employees: Precise information about what they can expect and what benefits they will have as a result. This will help you overcome reservations. They will then be more willing to support the fact that working time with an app in the Smartphone on the construction site is tracked. It is important that you are aware of your employees’ concerns and can actively counteract them.
Digital Time tracking: 5 benefits for your employees
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Companies can offer employees a share in efficiency gains
If employees also recognize an advantage for themselves in the introduction of a new digital process, they are naturally easier to convince. With digital Time tracking you can record project times much more accurately. Involve your employees in the benefits that this will bring to your company.
One possibility, for example, would be to pay out an additional flat rate for travel times, staggered according to zones.
Depending on the zone in which the construction site is located, employees automatically receive a flat-rate travel time allowance. It’s a win-win situation: because the digital Time tracking makes your company more efficient and you can always see where you stand with your work, you can return the favor to your employees with flat-rate special payments.
Frequently asked questions about digital Time tracking
The working time recording via smartphone app allows employees to record their working times directly via their mobile equipment. The app registers clock-ins and clock-outs and transfers this data to the payroll accounting system in real time. With the help of GPS, the recorded times can be automatically assigned to a project or construction site without creating movement profiles.
Yes, digital Time tracking offers many advantages, especially for companies in the construction industry. Processes become more efficient, and both employees and the company benefit from accurate, fast invoicing without paperwork. Payroll accounting and project management always have an up-to-date overview, which makes it easier to process the work.
No, the app only records the log-on and log-off times and the location at the time of clocking in and out. Movement profiles are not recorded. Breaks and short trips, such as to the bakery or toilet, are also not tracked.
Not necessarily. The foreman or supervisor often takes over Time tracking for the whole team. Alternatively, each employee can enter their times independently via the app. Companies can choose which option works best for them.
No problem – many apps for Time tracking make it possible to enter working time retrospectively. Employees can add forgotten times manually so that the recording remains complete and correct.
No, digital Time tracking is primarily a tool for increasing efficiency and not for monitoring. The recorded data helps the company to keep accurate and transparent time records and relieve the burden on payroll accounting. Employees do not become “transparent” – data collection is limited to working hours and relevant project data.
- No more manual timesheets – the app does it automatically.
- Error-free transmission and immediate billing of hours worked.
- Faster wage payments and fewer queries, as all times are directly in the system.
- Every employee can view their working hours and account balances at any time.
- Flexible assignment of working hours to construction sites, even if the location changes.
Yes, digital Time tracking is permitted by law and is becoming increasingly important in Germany, but it is not yet a general obligation. In September 2022, the Federal Labor Court (BAG) ruled that employers must ensure reliable and systematic recording of working hours. This requirement arises from the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), which is intended to ensure the protection of health in the workplace, but the type of Time tracking – digital or analog – is currently left up to the companies. Learn more.
Reputable Time tracking apps adhere to strict data protection regulations and store data in encrypted form. The data is stored securely and only for as long as necessary. Companies are also obliged to respect and comply with the data protection rights of their employees.
Many providers of digital Time tracking apps offer trial versions or free demo phases. This allows the company to try out the app and its features before making a final decision to introduce it.
Image credits: djiledesign/iStock via Getty Images; 123onsite/Timo Lutz Werbefotografie
