Control your employees' time with these 3 methods of clocking in and out

How does employee timekeeping work?

Companies have everything to gain from good working time management: it ensures better tracking of hours worked, which facilitates certain operations such as optimizing schedules.

But above all, it's a legal obligation !

What exactly is required by law? What systems and tools should be put in place to clock employees in and out efficiently? Should you use software, a time clock, or both?

Here's the lowdown.

See all software Attendance Tracking

When do you have to clock in and out at work? Legal obligations

Legal obligations for employers

Time recording is mandatory for all employers governed by the French Labor Code. It enables precise recording of :

• employees' working hours, in accordance with the initial terms of their contract,
• absences
• lateness,
• vacations,
• overtime, or additional hours in the case of part-time contracts.

Thanks to this tracking system, the company is then in a position to justify its employees' work periods in the event of an inspection by URSSAF or the labor inspectorate, which generally occurs in order to verify :

• compliance with maximum working hours ,
• payment of overtime,
• correct calculation of RTT days, etc.

☝️ Warning: if employees' working hours are not counted, the employer is liable to fines of :

• 750 euros for an individual,
• 3750 euros for a legal entity.

Legal obligations for employees

While employers are obliged to clock in and out, employees must comply with any time-counting system set up by their company (e.g., signing in at the time clock when arriving at work in the morning). If the employee forgets, refuses or cheats, the employer has the right to sanction or even dismiss him/her.

Moreover, if the employee clocks in before the time initially stipulated in his contract, this action will have no effect on his working time. If, on the other hand, the employee clocks in later, he or she will lose actual working time.

☝️ Note that employees can only object to the clocking-in of their hours if the chosen system proves disproportionate to the simple need to control working time. By way of illustration, biometric time clocks, which use personal data (employee photographs), are reserved for very specific uses and contexts (hazardous areas, nuclear activities, etc.).

Who is concerned by employee time & attendance?

All employees are concerned, regardless of :

• the type of working hours (night shifts, part-time, staggered hours, etc.),
• the system adopted. In other words, these rules apply even to managers on fixed day-rate contracts. The only difference is that the number of days worked is counted against the terms of the fixed-rate agreement.

☝️ There are, however, two exceptions to this obligation to clock in and out: the agricultural and transport sectors, which are subject to their own regulations (Code rural and Code des transports).

However, hours are counted differently depending on the type of working schedule:

• in the case of collective working hours: the posting of collective working hours is sufficient;
• in the case of individual working hours: the employer draws up an individual daily statement and a weekly summary. Failure to do so may result in a fine of up to 3750 euros per employee concerned.

The advantages of clocking in and out

While clocking in and out is a legal obligation, there are other advantages to this practice.

• For the employer:
  • it' s easier to keep track of team working hours, and thus optimize scheduling;
  • reliable data in the event of a dispute with an employee.
    
    
• For employees:
  • overtime is calculated as accurately as possible;
  • all employees are on an equal footing when it comes to working hours.

How do you keep track of working hours? Legal obligations

There are no legal obligations regarding the method chosen for clocking in and out. This is left to the discretion of the employer.

However, when the system used makes it possible to determine the identity and time of arrival of employees, certain rules must be observed:

• a data processing register must be kept,
• consultation with employee representatives.

If the company fails to do so, any clocking-in and clocking-out records produced cannot be used in legal proceedings, for example in the event of dismissal.

Furthermore, the employer is perfectly entitled to ask employees to record some or all of their working hours themselves. If they refuse to do so, sanctions may be taken against them.

💡 Good to know: data relating to the clocking-in of employee hours must be kept for a minimum of 5 years. This information must be available to the employee on request, or to any public body in the event of an inspection.

See all software Attendance Tracking

Which time and attendance system should I choose?

Clocking in hours "by hand

It's perfectly possible to keep track of working hours "by hand":

• recording hours worked in Excel,
• filling in a logbook with daily entries and exits,
• keeping a summary of hours worked, etc.

💡 To help you keep track of your employees' hours, Appvizer provides an activity tracking table in Excel format for free download.

☝️ While manual time and attendance is still the most common system used by companies (because it's the most economical), bear in mind that it is often time-consuming and a source of errors.

Use a manual time clock

With a manual time clock, the employee declares his or her hours automatically, by signing in at the start of the working day or shift, for example.

This device reduces the risk of errors, and enables data to be collected quickly and accurately, so that they can be entered into a software program for processing (calculation of absences, leave, RTT, etc.).

Using time and attendance software

Most time and attendance software offers time and attendance functions. These tools are becoming increasingly popular with companies, as they :

• are easier to deploy than a time clock, and better suited to certain professions (e.g. office work),
• can be used in mobile situations, for field sales staff for example,
• enable automatic data management for HR processing.

For example :

• Combo (ex-Snapshift) is a connected time clock that enables you to monitor your employees' arrival and departure times live, while measuring their attendance time. Simple, efficient and intuitive, it is directly linked to a personnel planning and payroll preparation module: no more double entries and weekly checks!
  
  
• Eurécia Time Tracking, a module of the all-in-one Eurécia HRIS, enables your employees to clock in and out using a virtual time clock. All time data are centralized in the tool to simplify real-time control of attendance, and thus react more quickly in the event of unforeseen circumstances (absence, lateness, etc.). This information is also used to automate subsequent payroll calculations.
  
  
• Factorial Gestion du Temps, time management software for SMEs and growing companies, features a modern digital time clock system : all employees have to do is scan a QR code from their cell phone. With geolocation, you can check whether the time clock is being used from a location other than the office. All data is then centralized in the tool to facilitate control and monitoring of working hours.
  
  
• MOZAIK Clean was developed to manage and monitor cleaning sites. Using their mobile app and/or a fixed or mobile box, operatives easily clock in and out their hours when on site at a customer's premises.
  
  
• Traxxeo is a mobile resource management platform with expertise in the construction and associated trades. Among its functionalities, its worksite clocking-in application makes it quick and easy to enter working hours, with no risk of errors. Data is transmitted in real time, and can be integrated into your HR software to simplify payroll processing and absence management.
  
  
• UKG offers both HR administrative management and time and labor management solutions . Thanks to the editor, time recording is simplified: it can be carried out directly on a smartphone or via a time and attendance terminal, online or offline. In addition, time sheet approval and production are automated. This saves time and ensures that HR remains in line with current regulations.
  
  
• ZEUS is positioned as a comprehensive, feature-rich time and activity management solution. It offers a range of automated time and attendance systems (badge readers and mobile applications), for greater flexibility and fluidity in recording working hours. All data collected is centralized within the tool to optimize operations, in particular payroll preparation.

In the final analysis, while the clocking-in and clocking-out of working hours remains compulsory, there are a number of different ways of doing this. Employers therefore have numerous options for monitoring and reporting working hours, using a system adapted to their organization and the type of activities carried out.