Have you ever wondered how much time you really work each day when breaks are taken into account? With ZEP, you can easily answer this question. Our time tracking software ensures that breaks are automatically deducted from working hours — so you can record your working hours precisely and without additional effort.
But that's not all: ZEP offers numerous other features that help you optimize your work processes and increase your productivity. In this article, we'll introduce you to some clever ZEP hacks that you might not know yet and show you how you can use the full potential of our powerful software.
What is the automatic subtraction of breaks?
With automatic break deduction, break times are automatically deducted from working hours without the employee having to enter them manually. This is particularly useful when employees forget to stamp their breaks. In times of Home office and more flexible working time models The automatic pause trigger offers a reliable method for tracking working hours correctly and in compliance with the law.
Can the employer deduct the specified break time from working hours?
Yes, the employer may automatically deduct break time from working hours, as he is required by law to set breaks in advance and to grant them. that Working Hours Act sees no waiver of breaks before and the employer must ensure that the breaks are actually taken. Otherwise, he risks consequences under fines if the Compliance with breaks is not monitored.
What are the legal break regulations in Germany?
In Germany, employees who work between six and nine hours a day must take a break of at least 30 minutes. For working hours of more than nine hours, a break of at least 45 minutes is required. In addition, the law requires that a break must be taken after six hours at the latest — even for the most dedicated workaholics.
Subtract breaks automatically: These are the benefits
The automatic deduction of breaks offers numerous benefits for companies and employees. Automation not only reduces effort, but also ensures compliance with legal requirements. Here is an overview of the most important benefits:
⚙️ Increased efficiency: Fewer manual interventions result in faster and easier time tracking.
🎯 High accuracy: Automated calculation according to fixed rules minimizes errors.
👥 More transparency: Both employees and employers keep track of working and break times.
✅ Regulatory compliance: Reduces risks and ensures that all break regulations are met.
Typical challenges with automatic pause tracking
With automatic break tracking, you may encounter some challenges, in particular when integrating into existing systems and adapting to different working time models. Technical problems such as misinterpretations of working hours or inaccurate records are also possible. It is also important that you ensure that you implement all legal regulations correctly in order to avoid legal consequences.
5 ultimate ZEP clock hacks
Our digital time clock offers you some useful tricks that can make your everyday work easier. True to the motto: Small but powerful! Our compact tool for pure time tracking comes around the corner with big tricks — which you can of course also use in all others ZEP product lines be able to apply. But: How can you get the ultimate out of ZEP Clock? It's very simple:
Automatic pause trigger
Do you want to be sure that your employees' minimum breaks are always correctly observed? Then set up in ZEP Clock turn on the automatic pause trigger. If an employee forgets to take all or part of their break, ZEP Clock automatically deducts the minimum break from the employee's time account.
“Execute in the background” of evaluations
With ZEP Clock, the working hours of your employees can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. However, some evaluations are required regularly. Simply run the evaluation in the background and determine who, when, for what period of time and in which format the report is automatically sent to you or your employees.
Task: Automatic Logout
I'm sure you know that: an employee forgets to stamp out after work and you're always busy correcting the crooked stamps afterwards. Simply set up the task “Automatically log off all employees” and ZEP Clock stamps out all those who have forgotten to do so at a specific time or after a specific time. You and the affected employee will be informed and the next working day can start off smoothly. In our other product lines, you need the module for this attendance.
Create an activity list in the app
In addition to location tracking when stamping with the ZEP Clock App you can record even more precisely what your employees are doing by creating a list of activities in the app. You decide for yourself what the employee is offered to book. The classics here include “office” and “home office”, but also more creative ideas such as “trip to customer”, “customer A” and “customer B”. The employee must select one of the terms to stamp and you can evaluate the time recorded in this way according to the list terms. You can then see exactly how many person days your employee has worked for “customer A”. Get creative!
Exclude periods with fixed breaks
Do you want to prevent your employees' working hours from being recorded before they actually start working? Set “fixed breaks” in the break regulations for the period before the start of work and your employees can stamp, but the booked working time only starts after the fixed break has ended. For example, if you take a fixed break from 2 to 8 in the morning, your employees can stamp themselves in and drink coffee as early as 7:30 a.m., but the working time is not calculated until 8:00 a.m.
conclusion
ZEP is a powerful partner for precise and efficient time tracking that goes far beyond basic functionality. The automatic pause removal not only reduces the amount of manual intervention required, but also ensures compliance with legal requirements. The versatile features such as automatic deregistration, background evaluations and the customizable activity list offer you comprehensive opportunities to optimize your work processes.
With ZEP, you benefit from software that both increases your administrative efficiency and increases the transparency and accuracy of your time tracking improved. In this way, you can ensure that your time management runs smoothly and that all legal requirements are met at the same time.
FAQs
Can I voluntarily forego my break?
No, the Working Hours Act does not allow employees to voluntarily waive their breaks. The employer is obligated to grant the prescribed breaks and to ensure that employees actually take them. Even if an employee wishes to skip their break, the legally mandated break must still be observed.
How much break can the employer deduct?
The employer is only allowed to deduct the legally required breaks from working hours. For a daily working time of six to nine hours, a break of at least 30 minutes is required, and for more than nine hours, at least 45 minutes. These breaks must be automatically deducted if the time tracking system is set up accordingly.
When do breaks have to be stamped?
Breaks generally do not need to be clocked separately if the time tracking system automatically accounts for the break deduction. In many systems, the break is automatically deducted if the employer has predefined the break times. If manual entry is required, it should be done in accordance with internal policies and legal requirements.
