Digital Overhaul Looms: German Minister Bas Proposes Mandatory Electronic Time Tracking as Study Reveals 28 Lost Workdays Per Employee Per Year
Published on 06/19/2026 at 20:04 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
More than one in three employees in Germany wastes over an hour of working time every day on inefficient processes, according to a Civey survey commissioned by Allgeier inovar and published in May 2026. Scaled across a full year, that loss amounts to roughly 28 working days per person.
The biggest time sinks are technical. Searching for documents eats up the most minutes—cited by 38% of respondents. Frequent switching between different software tools frustrates 33%, while another 29% point to unclear responsibilities. Yet only one in five companies has fully digitised its document-based processes, the study found.
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The human toll is significant: 57% of employees reported feeling stressed because of these inefficiencies. The economic impact is equally clear, though the report stopped short of putting a euro figure on the lost hours.
Political push for electronic timekeeping
Now the government is stepping in. A draft bill from Labour Minister Bärbel Bas would force all businesses to introduce electronic working-time recording. The proposal also allows deviations from the eight-hour day in favour of a weekly maximum, but only if a collective bargaining agreement is in place.
Business reaction has been mixed. Employer president Rainer Dulger and representatives of Gesamtmetall have criticised the plan, arguing that the flexibility it offers is reserved exclusively for companies with collective agreements. CDU secretary-general Linnemann has also rejected the draft in its current form.
Software moves to fill the gap
While the legislative process plays out, the market is already adapting. Jotform released new digital form templates for HR departments today, covering standardised sick-notification processes and aiming to unify data collection. Similar efforts are under way in vocational training: the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts has been promoting the digital training record "BLok" since mid-June. For a one-off fee of €30 net per contract, trainees and companies can manage records online. Proper record keeping is a prerequisite for admission to the journeyman’s examination, and switching between digital and handwritten formats remains possible at any time.
In the Hamburg region, small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly using digital instruction modules that comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and DGUV guidelines. These online sessions, recognised as blended learning, must be documented and stored for at least two years.
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Big tech gets in on the act
Microsoft announced a "Workplace Check-in" feature for Teams, due in June 2026. The system automatically detects whether a device is logged into the company’s Wi-Fi. It is switched off by default and, in Germany, requires a works council agreement as well as consent from both administrators and end users.
Meanwhile, SAP is pushing its cloud transition. Support for the legacy SAP HCM system is guaranteed until the end of 2027, with an optional extension to 2030. Future HR solutions will increasingly rely on cloud models such as SuccessFactors and Employee Central Payroll.
Tools alone won't fix it
Mareike Busche of Figma, speaking on Productivity Day (20 June), warned against excessive faith in technology. In the age of artificial intelligence, she argued, speed of processing is no longer the only measure that matters. The quality of work results and the effectiveness of collaborative workflows are becoming more important. Digital tools, she said, are only as good as the processes they are meant to support.
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