In 2019, the Spanish government passed Royal Decree-Law 8/2019, of March 8, on urgent social protection measures and the fight against labor precarity in working hours. This law establishes the obligation for companies to keep a record of working hours and the hours of entry and exit of employees.

 

The registration of working hours applies to all workers and companies regardless of their category, sector, or size. However, some employees are exempt from clocking in, such as top management, domestic employees, self-employed individuals, and workers with disabilities in special employment centers, as long as there are no specific regulations for any of them.

 

The aim of this law is to ensure compliance with schedules and prevent labor abuses or unpaid overtime. Additionally, this registration allows for inspection by the Labor and Social Security authorities.

Not complying with the working hours control law can result in fines of varying amounts, depending on the severity level determined by the Labor and Social Security inspection:

 

• Minor infringements: These occur when a company fails to inform employees about labor conditions. Fines range from €60 to €625.
• Serious infringements: These arise due to irregularities in complying with agreed-upon schedules or performing overtime that the company does not account for. Fines range from €625 to €6,250.
• Very serious infringements: These occur when there is an improper increase in unpaid overtime without a reflection in the established contract type. Fines range from €6,250 to €187,515.

Currently, a significant number of people are still working remotely. In such cases, traditional clocking systems might not be applicable when not physically in the office. To address this issue, the best solution is online clocking, a tool that digitizes time management.

The online clocking system, in addition to allowing employees to record their attendance from anywhere, offers advantages such as:

• Multi-device functionality: Clocking can be done using a mobile device, tablet, or computer, as long as there is an internet connection.
• Flexibility: It allows indicating start and end times of the workday, as well as breaks and resumptions.
• Access to all data: Information about working hours is stored in a database accessible to employers and employees.
• Creation of reports and analyses: Online clocking systems like Sommos allow for creating comprehensive graphs and reports, which can be presented to labor inspection in case of an audit.
• Real-time monitoring: HR personnel can know in real time which departments are operational and which are not, making it easier to organize the work schedule.

When there's open communication within a company, it improves the work environment, productivity, motivation, and personal relationships, as well as strengthening employees' sense of belonging to the company.

 

To achieve this, organizations need a communication channel through which they can communicate with their employees quickly and directly, and disseminate corporate culture. In this sense, internal communication apps like Sommos are an excellent solution.

 

Through Sommos, employees can stay informed about everything happening in the company, featuring a news feed and access to corporate information, Compliance policies, and other regulations. It's a collaborative tool that allows everyone to participate and enables bidirectional and cross-departmental communication among colleagues.

 

Furthermore, it includes a personal area where employees can perform various tasks, inquiries, and management tasks, such as daily time registration, vacation requests, expenses, leaves, permissions, resource reservations, and incident reports.