Time Recording in Field Service: What You as an Employer Need to Know

1. Do field service employees have to record their working time?
2. What needs to be considered when recording working hours in field service?
3. What counts as working time in field service?
4. Is travel time in field service working time?
5. When is travel time in field service no longer working time?
6. How can field service employees record their working hours?
7. Conclusion

The Federal Labor Court decided on September 13, 2022 that employers in Germany are obligated to record the working hours of their employees. This also applies to field service employees. However, there are peculiarities when recording working hours in the field service. What counts as working time? Is travel time also working time? How can working time be recorded? We will answer these and other questions about time recording in field service in this article.

Do field service employees have to record their working time?

Time recording is also required by law for field service employees. According to the Work Time Act (ArbZG)and the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) companies in Germany must record the working hours of their employees.

The Working Time Act was introduced to protect employees and establish uniform working time guidelines. It regulates various aspects of work time, including maximum working hours and rest breaks. Time recording is intended to ensure compliance with the legally prescribed maximum working time of eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. This is not about monitoring employees, but rather documenting the agreed working hours in accordance with employment contracts. The exact type of time recording can vary depending on the activity and size of the company. However, it is important that recording is done properly and accurately in order to ensure correct invoicing and compliance with legal regulations. It is also worth taking a look at the Tool Talk on Time Recording.

What needs to be considered when recording working hours in field service?

There are a few peculiarities for field service employees when it comes to recording working hours. Firstly, the question of what counts as working time in field service needs to be considered. We will go into more detail on this in the next section. Secondly, overtime can quickly occur when field service employees are on the road a lot. Therefore, precise yet simple time recording is necessary. We will look at the potential time recording options later. For time recording in field service, the same data protection requirements apply as for time recording in operations. When using apps or other software, care must be taken to ensure data protection-compliant handling of the data.

What counts as working time in field service?

In general, working time is the time during which employees are pursuing their activities and are reachable for their employer. The maximum working time specified in the Working Time Act must be observed. Therefore, breaks and rest periods also count as working time. For field service employees, travel activity is a significant part of their daily work. Without travel, they cannot carry out their tasks. Therefore, the travel time between the places of deployment is also working time. In addition to the work at the customers' location, the travel time to the first customer of the day and the travel time from the last customer home also counts as working time, provided the field service employees do not have a fixed place of work. This legal ruling is based on a decision of the European Court of Justice.

Is travel time in field service working time?

As you already know, both the journey from the place of residence to the first place of deployment and the journey home after work are to be recognized as compensable working time if the field service employees do not have a fixed workplace. The travel time between customers only counts as working time if the employees are bound by the employer's instructions during this time.

When is travel time in field service no longer working time?

Travel time in field service is not working time when ...

• employees have a fixed workplace and drive from there to customers.
• employees are free during the travel time, i.e., they don't have to follow any employer's instructions. Instructions are, for example, the specification of an order in which customers should be visited, products that should be promoted or sold, or the route employees should take.
• employees pursue private activities during travel time, for example, phone calls with friends and family.

How can field service employees record their working hours?

There are no legal requirements for the form of working time recording. However, there are some peculiarities for field service that need to be considered when choosing time recording. These include:

• mobile use
• easy handling
• data protection
• flexibility

The following are three ways time recording in field service can look.

1. Time recording with simple software

The simplest option is time recording with Excel spreadsheets. Employees manually enter their working hours into an Excel table, which is then sent to the HR department.

Advantages:

• easy handling
• flexible access from anywhere
• individually customizable

Disadvantages:

• can be time-consuming
• employees have to keep track of their working hours themselves
• prone to errors due to manual entry
  

2. Time recording with specialized applications

In addition to desktop applications, there are apps for time recording specially developed for smartphones in field service, like for example MyTimeTracker . With mobile apps for time recording field service employees can record their working hours directly from their smartphones, no matter where they are. Desktop applications offer similar services, but often have additional features such as report creation, project management, and integration with other business applications.

Advantages:

• flexible access from anywhere
• intuitive and easy to use
• Automations like reminders or report creation

Disadvantages:

• Dependence on technology and internet connection can lead to failures or delayed transmission.
• Data protection concerns due to storage of personal data.
• Limited offline functionality can limit the recording of working hours in certain situations.
  

3. Automatic recording with technical aids

In field service, the GPS function of the smartphone can be used well to record the location of employees and thus automatically log the working time.

Advantages:

• easy use
• manual effort very low
• minute-accurate recording

Disadvantages:

• prone to errors, e.g., due to loss of GPS signal
• data protection legally tricky
• full activity monitoring may be unpleasant for employees

Conclusion

A correct and modern time recording in field service fulfills the legal requirements and contributes to a more efficient process. Through the use of tools suitable for field service, such as mobile apps, likePersonizer or GPS trackers, employees can quickly and accurately record their working time.