Yesterday, Tuesday, the Danish Parliament decided that all companies and their employees must register working hours. Every day. All week long. All year round. In silent protest, Taastrup-based IT company MyDesk is today launching a free application to help businesses and employees.
The new rules on mandatory recording of working time are a consequence of an EU ruling from 2019. The CJEU ruled that all working hours must be recorded on an individual and daily basis. Data must also be stored for at least five years. The registration must ensure that employees have at least 11 consecutive hours without work, a working week of no more than 48 hours and at least one day off per week.
Compulsory time tracking has been heavily criticized in Denmark. The new law has been called a bomb under the Danish labor market, which is characterized by collective agreements, orderly conditions and, for many, a flourishing of flexible meeting times, working from home, etc.
"If forced time tracking is a bomb – then we’re the Rullemarie bomb squad. The EU and the Danish Parliament pull something akin to old-fashioned stamp cards over people’s heads – we make it so simple to clock in and out. We realized pretty early on that the new rules were coming. When we were done shaking our heads and shrugging our shoulders, we developed an application that targets the EU regulations that have now become Danish law. We call the application WorkTime, it’s free and there are no strings attached," says Henrik Jøhnk Kristensen, CEO and co-founder of MyDesk, which develops digital platforms for optimal utilization of office environments, canteens and meeting rooms.
According to calculations from the Danish Business Authority, mandatory time tracking will cost DKK 900 million annually in lost earnings if all employees spend 1 minute a day on time tracking. If time recording lasts 3 minutes, the loss is a whopping DKK 2.4 billion per year. The Danish Business Authority has also calculated that Danish companies will incur costs for new equipment equivalent to DKK 500-600 million.
"We believe that the DKK 600 million should stay in the companies. That’s why we don’t charge anything for WorkTime. The solution is free. To add insult to injury, it’s still unclear how exactly hours worked will be recorded and stored. Is an Excel sheet good enough? Is a notebook? With WorkTime, businesses and employees are worry-free. In practice, WorkTime works as an application where employees use their smartphone to record when they come in and when they leave. All companies in Denmark can make use of our free solution. All it requires is that the company fills out an online form and each employee then downloads the app. Then everyone is ready for the new reality, new daily routines and – most importantly – being with our colleagues and doing our jobs so we can produce and develop something that creates real value instead of burning money on bureaucracy," concludes Henrik Jøhnk Kristensen.
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MyDesk
Danish IT company in Taastrup. Develops digital platforms for optimal utilization of office environments, canteens and meeting rooms. Customers include EG, TDC and Sundhed.dk.
WorkTime
No strings attached, no trial period, no costs. Companies register on the website. Employees can then download the application and digitally record their meeting time and time off. Data is anonymized and stored in accordance with EU rules on digital rights and privacy (also known as the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR).
