At the end of 2022, the German Federal Labor Court (BAG) published a decision stating that employers are obliged to introduce a system for recording the total working hours of their employees (BAG, 1 ABR 22/21). Up to now, the Working Time Act (ArbZG) has not contained an explicit obligation to record the working hours of all employees, except for overtime. The BAG thus confirms the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) from 2019, according to which all EU member states are obliged to require all employers to introduce an “objective, reliable and accessible system” documenting the work performance of their employees (ECJ, C-55/18). In its decision, the BAG bases the obligation to introduce a time recording system by the employer on the provision in Sec. 3 (2) No. 1 Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), which states that the employer must enable “suitable organization” and provide the necessary resources for this.
