EU Working Time Regulations

Companies operating in the European Union are required to keep a detailed record of their employees' working time. But recording work hours in spreadsheets and on paper is time-consuming and error-prone. Using software to track time not only simplifies compliance, but it also benefits your workforce in several ways.

This guide contains:

• A summary of the requirements of the EU regulation

• A comparison of different time-tracking methods

• An explanation of the benefits of implementing time-tracking software

What's inside

The guide explains what mandatory time tracking in the EU means for employers. It covers five sections:

• Requirements of the ruling: in May 2019 the European Court of Justice ruled that employers must use an "objective, reliable, and accessible system" to record each employee's daily working time and breaks. Employees must be able to see their own data, and no specific method or technology is prescribed – software and manual records are both possible.
• EU Working Time Directive (in effect since 2004): a maximum of 48 hours per week including overtime, averaged over four months; at least 11 consecutive hours of daily rest; at least 24 hours of uninterrupted weekly rest, averaged over two weeks; and a break when working more than 6 hours a day.
• Exceptions and national differences: rest periods can be postponed where continuous presence is needed (e.g. hospitals, fire services, agriculture). A table lists minimum breaks by country, e.g. Germany 30 minutes, France 20, Spain 15, Italy 10, Portugal 1 hour after 5 hours of work.
• Benefits and penalties: health and safety, verifiable records, more accurate payroll and better work-life balance. Non-compliance can mean fines of up to €2,000 per affected employee in France and up to €30,000 in Germany, plus legal disputes and reputational damage.
• Five time-tracking methods compared: pen and paper, punch clocks, spreadsheets, physical time tracking (kiosks, RFID or barcode scanners, fingerprint or face recognition) and app-based tracking, each with pros and cons.

Key takeaways

• The system must be objective, reliable and accessible to employees.
• Tracking must also cover breaks, not just start and end times.
• Break rules differ by country, so multi-country employers need local settings.

Download the full guide below for the country table and the complete comparison of time-tracking methods. The guide is for information only and is not legal advice.