Time Recording in the Construction Industry: What You Should Pay Attention To

1. You must consider this for time recording in the construction industry
2. These are the advantages of time recording in the construction industry
3. Implementing time recording in the construction industry with this software
4. Conclusion: Laws are NOT always the decisive point

The subject of time recording will really concern every company by 2023 at the latest. A Haufe survey in January 2023 showed: Employees* view the obligation to record working time as rather positive. If you want to know how time recording tools work, what prompts employees* to give positive feedback and which system could be right for you, you've come to the right place!

You must consider this for time recording in the construction industry

By time tracking, we mean the manual or digital recording of working hours. All working and order times of a working day are recorded and stored. The recorded times can refer to activities, work steps or projects.

Legal basis

Through a judgment in September 2022 by the Federal Labor Court (BAG), all companies in Germany are obliged to document the working hours of their employees* (§ 3, ArbSchG).

The time recording law is based on several laws and judgments:

• Judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) of May 14, 2019 (ECJ Rs. 55/18 CCOO): Employers* are obliged to systematically record the working time of their employees.
• Judgment of the Federal Labor Court (BAG) of September 13, 2022 (file number: 1 ABR 22/21): Employers* are obliged to document all working hours in a time recording system.
• Occupational Safety Act (§ 3 para. 2 no. 1, ArbSchG): Employers* are obliged to introduce a system for recording the working hours of their employees* according to European law.

Who has to record working hours?

Even before the time recording ruling, certain groups of people had to document their working hours (e.g. mini-jobbers). Due to this judgment, almost all employers* from large corporations to small businesses (in the construction industry) are obliged to introduce a systematic recording of working times. Only very few groups of people - such as senior executives within the meaning of § 5 para. 3 BetrVG - are excluded from this. The details can be found in our article on Time recording. Each company is basically allowed to decide the form the time recording will take or which tool will be used.

These are the advantages of time recording in the construction industry

Small construction businesses with a maximum of ten employees* are basically allowed to record their times on paper. This means, employees write down their times on a traditional time sheet. However, there are many reasons to switch to digital time recording now.

Time sheets in paper form are:

• error-prone
• susceptible to manipulation
• difficult to evaluate
• time intensive

Alternatively, small construction businesses can electronically record times by using appropriate hardware (e.g. time recording terminals, RFID cards or barcode scanners). For this, employees* have to clock in and out with a chip or a card at the sensor. This eliminates the manual transfer of handwritten notes into the accounting system.

Electronic time sheets are:

• accurate
• transparent
• non-manipulable
• traceable and verifiable
• evaluable
• time-saving

Another alternative to the paper time sheet is the use of a web-based or mobile application. Here, too, the time recording is electronic. Employees* simply enter their working hours on site on their smartphone, tablet or PC.

(Digital) web-based and mobile time sheets are:

• accurate
• transparent
• non-manipulable
• traceable and verifiable
• evaluable
• time-saving
• available at any time
• intuitive

Compared to traditional time recording, electronic time recording is much more efficient as time-intensive and error-prone tasks are eliminated. The recorded data form the basis for precise planning regarding the upcoming work and available resources.

Although electronic time recording is (still) not a must for small businesses, companies benefit from the following legal advantages:

• Electronic data are meaningful location proofs.
• A time recording software ensures compliance with legal requirements (e.g. rest breaks).

Implementing time recording in the construction industry with this software

Time recording construction industry 123erfasst

The company founder and construction entrepreneur Jürgen Bruns from 123erfasst was looking for a mobile time recording for his company. None of the solutions could really convince him, so he decided to develop one himself.

He wanted a software that covers the entire construction site documentation, including the connection to accounting and project management, transparently and efficiently. All this in a device that all construction workers* carry with them anyway. Together with the software developer Dominic Sander, he thus developed the 123erfasst app. Later, the decision was made to strategically take over the 123erfasst.de GmbH by NEVARIS Bausoftware GmbH. From two men with a vision, a true success story therefore developed.

Time recording in the construction industry for small businesses and large corporations

For both small businesses and large corporations in the construction industry, it is particularly important that the time recording is simple and quick. 123erfasst, with its modular structure, provides the best basis for gradually introducing employees* to digital time recording in the construction industry. Companies can start with the functions that offer them a significant added value and which their employees* quickly understand and enjoy using. This can be expanded at any time.

The start-up Rahlmann Hoch- und Tiefbau started with one employee. As the demand increased, so did the team. The founder Fabian Rahlmann decided after own information for 123erfasst, because he prefers to take care of his customers* on the construction site rather than doing administrative tasks.

123erfasst also turned out to be the best choice for the Matthäi group with over 40 locations and branches as well as construction and raw material productions throughout Europe. Since 2018, they have been using the tool for time recording. The functionality and user guidance of the system convinced, so all locations were quickly fitted with the app in a unified manner.

As early as June 2019, 1,150 employees* were able to record their times on their smartphone. The company is currently planning to automatically generate construction day reports from the recorded data.

The most important functions at a glance

• Time recording
• Task management
• Construction documentation
• Construction communication
• Construction Fair
• Construction site chats
• Construction journal
• Construction handover
• Reporting
• Disposition
• Forms
• Photo documentation
• Deadline management
• Device maintenance
• Rapport ticket
• Telematics

Digital construction management

123erfasst contains all the functions you need for your digital construction management and your digital project documentation. You can manage and verifiably document all the information in digital construction day reports and construction diaries.

They include:

• own services, materials and day wages
• Services by subcontractors*
• Photos
• automatic weather records

You can create forms - optionally as a checklist or as a form with signature fields.

Time recording construction industry 123erfasst forms

Practical example of digital construction management

Emil Tepe GmbH specializes in electrical installation, plumbing and heating construction. The company uses 123erfasst for time recording and mobile project documentation. Their house connection coordinator manages up to 14 teams daily. Each individual house connection creates bills for different telecommunications service providers*.

Just one of the 10 to 20 house connections causes up to eight bills a day. These bills contain commercial and technical data as well as extensive construction site documentation. With 123erfasst, the company can customize the form templates. All construction sites are marked with an EAN or QR code, which allows the employees* to quickly and easily reach the appropriate form.

Digital construction site planning

With 123erfasst, you can coordinate your resources and projects. For example, you can plan your staff either separately or as a complete team, controlled by roles and rights, using the clear calendar.

In the calendar you can also:

• edit shifts and tasks
• plan projects and the use of devices and employees*
• schedule shifts
• view shift schedules and presence and absence

Practical example digital construction site planning

We all know that human resources are the most important - especially in the craft trades. Therefore, digital and modern processes are not only important for internal purposes. They can also be a decisive factor in attracting young talent. In the vocational training and technology center (BTZ) Bensheim, trainees in the masonry trade learn the benefits of digital construction site planning with the 123erfasst app.

Mobile staff management

Time recording for the construction industry 123erfasst route planner

You can record and centrally manage personnel-related data such as working hours, applications or qualifications of your employees* in the 123erfasst app.

With the tool you always keep an overview over personnel matters and can among other things:

• record times and absences
• place leave requests
• assign competencies to employees*
• calculate wages (takes into account construction rates, allowances and expenses)
• track GPS data

Practical example mobile personnel management

Otto Building Technologies GmbH is active in building technology. For them, alongside time recording, especially the assignment planning is an important topic. From handwritten or Excel-created monthly reports to digital construction site: The manual effort of their fitters* and HR employees* could be significantly reduced with 123erfasst. For the company, assigning their own employees* as well as those of subcontractors is important.

Manage construction equipment digitally

With 123erfasst, you can manage your equipment digitally and efficiently. For this purpose, equipment times and movements are recorded and maintenance is planned. In addition, you can connect manufacturer and location portals, thereby automatically transmitting location and operating data.

The most important functions include:

• Plan equipment and their maintenance (telematics and maintenance management)
• Display movements and locations of all equipment
• Centrally manage equipment information and documentation
• Automate reminders for maintenance and testing dates

Mobile Deficiency Management

In 123erfasst, you can generate tickets for tasks or defects and locate them on digital construction plans. Thanks to the forms, you always have all relevant information at hand.

Practical example mobile deficiency management

The group Engie Deutschland GmbH covers all areas of technical building equipment. The subsidiary Otto Building Technologies GmbH had previously been successful with 123erfasst, which is why the group followed suit with confidence. With the tool, they create tickets for the deficiency and hindrance elimination and take over residual services, among other things.

Every action is located with photos. Afterwards, the site managers send the tickets to the responsible project managers or system designers. Once approval has been given, they are passed on to subcontractors*. Finally, 123erfasst automatically informs all parties involved about completed deficiencies.

Payroll accounting

123erfasst automatically transmits the data directly from the construction site to your payroll accounting. This eliminates all manual tasks and sources of error. In doing so, it takes into account all the peculiarities of your industry (e.g. construction rates, winter failure money and seasonal working hours). You can add individual regulations (e.g. holiday surcharges) at any time.

You can also:

• see the business status of your construction sites
• capture different working and break times of office workers and construction workers
• see any overtime or minus hours

Practical example for payroll accounting

WHP Tiefbaugesellschaft mbH & Co. KG wanted to speed up their processing and finally ban an inefficient paper chase from their processes. With 123erfasst, they managed to digitize all commercial and technical processes. For example, payroll accounting no longer has to process handwritten time sheets, which greatly reduces the control effort and eliminates erroneous entries.

Interfaces

Your individual IT systems should be linked so that a seamless and automated data exchange is guaranteed. If you use different tools for your merchandise management, your accounting and your post-calculation, 123erfasst can communicate with all your systems via interface.

Conclusion: Laws are NOT always the decisive point

Many things in life are only tackled when they are required by law. That's human. But in this case it makes sense to switch from manual to electronic time recording. The advantages of a time recording tool are simply too overwhelming to miss out on. So don't wait any longer, test 123erfasst and find out why our OMR community is celebrating the tool!