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Time registration without hour bank: Fixed-paid and hourly-paid employees

EU time directive, payroll hours and projects

Written by Mathias Anneberg

Introduction to time tracking without hour bank

In BitaBIZ, you can register working hours without an hour bank, regardless of whether employees are salaried or hourly paid.

The difference mainly lies in:

  • How time tracking is used
    Whether it is used as documentation of work or for payroll processing.

  • Whether pay rates need to be created
    Created for hourly employees and used to register payroll hours.

  • Whether standard hours and automatic creation are used
    Time registrations are created automatically and the employee registers deviations.

This article guides you through the setup for both salaried employees and hourly employees, so you can easily configure the solution that fits your employee types and their employment conditions.

Choose time tracking type

BitaBIZ supports four methods for time tracking without an hour bank, which can be used by both salaried and hourly employees. Different employee groups can be given access to the methods that best match their purpose and needs.

Methods for time tracking (without hour bank)

You can choose between the following methods:

  1. Employee must enter start and end time

  2. Employee must enter number of hours

  3. Employee must check in and out

    • Via mobile app/web

    • Via QR code terminal at the workplace

  4. Employee only edits the day’s standard hours if there is a deviation

    • Edit deviation with start and end time

    • Edit deviation with number of hours

Click the image below to see the time tracking types:

Read more about the four time tracking methods here:

  1. Employee must enter start and end timeUser guide

  2. Employee must enter number of hoursUser guide

  3. Employee must check in and out

  4. Employee only edits the day’s standard hours if there is a deviation

    • Edit deviation with start and end timeUser guide

    • Edit deviation with number of hoursUser guide

How to set up the time tracking method on the policy

The time tracking method is selected on the employees’ policy.

  1. Click Setup Admin

  2. Click Modules

  3. Click Edit next to the policy (or click Create new policy)

  4. Open the section Time tracking – without hour bank

  5. Select the desired method and ensure the rest of the policy is configured as required before clicking Save

Employee access to time tracking without hour bank

The time tracking method is selected on the employees’ policy.

When an employee is assigned a policy on their master data card, the employee automatically receives the time tracking method that is selected on the policy.

It is possible to override the method manually on the employee’s master data card if an exception is needed.

Once your policies are configured with the time tracking methods, your employees are ready to register their time.

💁 We recommend sharing the user guides that describe your chosen registration method with your employees.
Find the user guides here.

💁 Also remember to share your approver guide with your approvers.

Checklist for time tracking

Below you will find an overview of features that can be activated in connection with time tracking without hour bank.

Consider which features fit your employee types and workflows.

Reminders for registrations

You can activate automatic reminders that support a consistent time tracking flow.

Remember to edit

If an employee has not edited their working hours for the last X number of weeks, a friendly reminder will be sent to the employee and their manager.

Can be activated for time tracking method 4.

Remember to register

If an employee has not registered hours on a workday, a reminder is sent the following day.

The message is only sent if the day was a workday and not registered as absence.

Can be activated for all time tracking methods except method 4.

Live feed (reminder to check out)

Displays an active time counter on the employee’s mobile device after check-in, with a direct option to check out.

Can be activated for time tracking methods with check-in and check-out (method 3).

See the guide for reminders here.

EU notifications

Push notifications intended to support compliance with the EU Working Time Directive and that can be sent to the approver.

48-hour rule

Sends a notification to the approver if the average working time exceeds a selected number of hours over a 4-month period.

11-hour rule

Sends a notification to the approver if the minimum 11-hour rest period is not observed.

Read more about notifications related to the EU Working Time Directive here.

Restriction for creating and editing retrospectively

Define how far back employees are allowed to create and edit time registrations.

Create and edit retrospectively

With this feature, an administrator can set a time limit on whether and how far back an employee is allowed to create and edit their registrations.

Read more about the restriction for registering retrospectively here.

Time tracking on job codes (project time)

Register working hours on projects.

Register time on projects and job codes

Employees who register their time using method 1, 2, or 3 (via mobile app/web) can register their time on job codes that are linked to projects.

Read more about project job codes here.

Time tracking for payroll processing

Pay rates for registering payroll hours for hourly employees are created on job codes and can be transferred to the payroll system.

Create pay rate job codes for payroll processing

For payroll hours, at least one pay rate job code must be created.

You can create multiple job codes if you have different pay rates (e.g. supplements).

For example, name the job codes:

  • Regular hours

  • Payroll hours

  • Evening supplement

  • Weekend hours

Registered payroll hours can be transferred to the payroll system.

Hours that have been processed for payroll are locked and therefore cannot be changed by the employee or the approver. Any changes must be made by the payroll admin.

Read more about the setup of job codes for payroll processing here and about payroll export here.

SMS for missing approval

Follow-up notification to the approver if time registrations are missing approval before payroll processing.

SMS notification for missing approved hours

The SMS text that is sent is free text and can be sent on a fixed date each month.

Hours that are not approved will not be included in the payroll export.

Read more about notifications for the approver here.

Own paid breaks

Automatic deduction of paid breaks from working hours.

Own paid breaks are deducted from the registered working time.

Breaks can be targeted to different employee groups. Multiple breaks can be created per day.

Read more about breaks here.

Focus on working hours

This setting determines how much focus there should be on working hours.

You can activate or deactivate access to time tracking statistics.

This feature includes employee access to statistics and balances for time tracking, and determines how much focus there should be on weekly, monthly, and yearly working hours.

Read more about focus on working hours here.

Set up onsite time tracking from terminal

Registration via a physical terminal with QR code for method 3 with check-in and check-out.

Activate onsite terminal

Employees assigned to QR code check-in/out can only register their working hours by scanning their personal QR code at a terminal.

Note! If an employee registers their workplace as “Working elsewhere”, check-in/out will be available without scanning the QR code at the terminal.

Read more about activating the terminal here.

Set up “edit today’s standard hours if there is a deviation”

With method 4, the system automatically creates the employee’s standard hours each day at 09:00. The employee only needs to edit their working time if there is a deviation.

Requirement: Create official working hours

For the standard hours to be created automatically at 09:00, a standard hours method must be selected on the employee’s policy under the Workweek tab.

There are two options for official working hours:

  • Official working hours created with start/end time: Click here

  • Official working hours created with net hours: Click here

The standard hours method determines whether the employee must adjust start and end time or only the number of hours worked.

The method is integrated with absence

Standard hours are not created automatically if one of the following has been registered before 09:00 on the day:

  • Sick leave / child sick

  • Vacation / other vacation

  • Other leave (e.g. leave of absence)

  • Public holidays

  • Minus days

  • Custom registration types marked as a “day off”


FAQ

Choice of solution and method

Should we use time tracking with or without an hour bank?

Use without an hour bank if you only need to register working hours for documentation, project time, or payroll processing.

If you need to accrue hours such as flex time, overtime, or time off in lieu (plus/minus balance), you should use with an hour bank – read more about time tracking with an hour bank here.

Why are plus/minus hours not calculated?

In time tracking without hour bank, no balance is calculated.


If you want automatic calculation of flex time or overtime, you must use time tracking with hour bank.

How can we see which time tracking solution we are using?

On the employee’s policy, you can see which time tracking method is assigned. It is possible to choose between:

  • “Time tracking – without hour bank”

  • “Time tracking – with hour bank”

Setup and access

Can the approval requirement for time registrations be removed?

Yes. The requirement for approval of time registrations can be both enabled and disabled on the policy to which the employee is assigned.

Can access to job codes on time registrations be removed for salaried employees?

Yes. Access to job codes can be removed on the policy.
This is recommended if the purpose is only daily registration of working hours and not tracking specific tasks or projects.

Why is working time not created automatically?

Automatic creation of working time requires that official working hours are defined for the employee.

By default, official working hours are created via the employee’s policy (start and end time or net hours per day).
If official working hours are not defined on the policy, they can instead be set directly on the employee’s master data card under “Workweek.

”Once official working hours are defined – either on the policy or on the employee’s master data card – working time will be created automatically (with time tracking method 4), unless the day is registered as absence, a public holiday, or a weekend.

Why does the system create working time automatically even though absence is registered on the day via a custom registration type?

Only custom registration types marked as “Day off” prevent the system from creating working time automatically.

If the registration type is not marked as “Day off”, working time will still be created on that day.

Why are both working hours and sick leave registered on the same day?

If you are using the time registration method “Adjust time” without time bank, the system automatically creates working hours (norm time) every day at 9 AM.

  • If sick leave is registered before 9 AM, no working hours will be created for that day

  • If sick leave is registered after 9 AM, the working hours may already have been created, resulting in both working hours and sick leave on the same day

This means:

  • Days where sickness is registered correctly from the start will have no working hours

  • If sickness is registered later or changed afterwards, working hours may appear and must be adjusted manually

If both working hours and sick leave appear on the same day, it is because the sick leave was registered after the automatic norm time was created

In these cases, the automatically created working hours must be deleted manually.

Payroll and payroll processing

Can payroll hours be settled directly in our payroll system for hourly employees?

Yes. If the employee registers their working hours using one of the following methods:

  • Employee must enter start and end time

  • Employee must enter number of hours

  • Employee must check in and out via mobile app/web

And registers the hours on job codes with pay rates, the payroll hours can be exported directly to your payroll system. Read more about export to the payroll system here.

Our hourly employees receive pay during sickness – how should this be registered?

If your hourly employees receive pay during sickness, sick leave must be registered via BitaBIZ. It can either be registered in the same way as for salaried employees, or via custom registration types or job codes – depending on the configuration on the hourly employee’s policy.

Read more in the article about sick leave here.

Can payroll-processed hours be edited or deleted?

Payroll-processed registrations are locked for employees and approvers.

However, they can be edited or deleted by the payroll admin if necessary.

Registration and rules

Can employees register or edit working hours retrospectively?

Whether employees can register or edit working hours retrospectively depends on the company’s configuration.

An administrator can choose whether employees are allowed to create or edit time registrations retrospectively – and how many weeks back they are allowed to go. Read about the setting here.

If the function is disabled, employees cannot register time retrospectively.

Note:

  • Payroll-processed registrations cannot be changed by employees, but they can be edited by the payroll admin. Read more about the payroll admin role here.

Can absence be registered retrospectively?

No, an employee cannot register absence in the form of vacation or time off in lieu retrospectively.

Vacation and time off in lieu must be registered on the actual day or requested in advance.

Absence can only be created retrospectively by the approver or payroll admin.

If the absence to be registered is sick leave, different settings may apply.
Read more about sick leave here.

Are there daily reminders for missing time registrations?

Yes. When using daily time tracking, it is recommended to activate daily reminders, so the employee receives a notification if a workday is missing a time registration.

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