The European Union is implementing new rules for Working Time Regulations. However, with Brexit, the UK are implementing their own legislations. What are the rules now, and how does it affect the cleaning business? In this article, we explain the current rules on WTR in the UK. We also have a look at the effects, with the pros and cons for your cleaning business.
Moving Away from the European Union: Working Time Regulations in the UK
The UK Government is planning to remove the EU Ruling, a ruling which states that employers must register their daily working hours each day, through an accurate and reliable system. The UK Government wants to give the companies an opportunity for less administrative work. The EU arguments that daily work hour registration, will help avoid uncompensated over-time and support a healthy work-life balance. Therefore, the UK and the EU see WTR differently, but what does it mean for your cleaning business?
UK Current Working Time Regulations: What You and Your Cleaning Business Need to Know
The UK Government want companies to follow the existing Working Time Regulations, which means more liberal choices when it comes to time registration. However, there are still some registering rules that you as an employer need to be aware of. Here is a simple rundown of the record proof you need:
What Working Hours Cleaning Businesses Do Need to Record
- Proof that employees are not working more than the 48-hour weekly average over a span of 17 weeks.
- Proof that night worker’s hourly limits are complied with.
- Proof of regular health assessments for night workers.
- Proof that young workers are not working in restricted periods.
These records need to be stored for two years. This also means that even though daily hours may not be necessary to register, having an overviewing registering system is.
Following the Working Time Regulation: How Time Tracking Can Improve the Quality of Your Cleaning Business
The Government in the UK has allowed your cleaning business to choose the amount of time tracking you want. It only as to cover the minimum basic rights discussed earlier. However, there are many advantages to time registration. It can improve the overall quality of your cleaning business by securing data and documentation for the benefit of both your employees and clients, which gives you a competitive advantage.
Engage Your Employees in the Scheduling
Most importantly is involving your employees in the time tracking. Employees usually have a fear that it is being misused by their employer. That they use it only to monitor their work, and it can create mistrust on both sides. However, the story of time tracking is also the story of employees’ rights.
It is important to show your employees that time tracking is a useful tool, as it can ensure their rights. They will feel less monitored if they are the ones who use it. They need to know that by registering their hours, they have documentation for things such as over-time pay, saved up holiday days, and ensure they work under the maximum hours. It will ultimately avoid the stress and fear from employees when they have clear schedules and documentation for their work. It will make sure that they get a correct pay cheque every month.
Time Tracking Gives You the Necessary Documentation and Data
As said before, time registration can give the employees, but also you as an employer, the right documentation and data. You can keep track and have accurate records for compliance with the law, and your employees ensure their rights with the right pay, and the right hours. It contributes significantly to a healthy work/life balance when everything is in order. You and your employees know how long someone works and where.
Having correct documentation is also having a competitive business that can attract potential staff. It will also attract clients when you can offer more security and documentation for the cleaning work performed. This usually follows with better communication with clients and correct pay for employees. However, time registration and other documentation has an economical price, but using digital software can turn the costs into an investment in fewer hours of administration and potentially less stress when the burden of administration lessens. Here’s how:
Become Digital: How Digital Cleaning Software Makes WTR Easy Peasy
Using manual systems for time registration can ensure that you have the right documentation, and that your employees’ rights are complied with. However, digital software gives you a different overview, with more security, as paper tends to get lost. This security can prevent unforeseen expenses on extra paperwork, if something goes wrong with a manual system.
Attract Clients and Employees with Time Tracking Software
Being a competitive cleaning business means being digitally enhanced in today’s world. One digital factor could be digitalising the WTR and other scheduling that you use to keep track of your cleaning business. By digitalising, you appear modern and professional to potential clients. The same goes for potential employees, especially the new generation of cleaning staff, who already know and use technology frequently.
With digital software, you can easily identify patterns in the cleaning process, whether good or bad, and be able to fix it and improve. This will improve relations to clients. Digital cleaning software allows you to plan ahead and data will not get lost like physical paper sometimes tends to do. Digital data is more accurate and efficient.
Commercial Cleaning Software Saves You Time and Money
You can share work schedules and easily shift your cleaning staff’s tasks or working days if someone calls in sick or a shift needs to be covered. Digital software usually provides automatic updates and keeps everyone on the same platform. Such software is also accessible on all devices most of the time and user-friendly, which makes it easy for cleaning staff to keep track of hours and schedules on either a smartphone or tablet. If used correctly, time tracking and scheduling will save you hours of work, which means less costs on administration.
Digital Time Tracking Tools: How They Work and Weighing Their Efficiency
When it comes to working time regulations, there are numerous digital solutions for time tracking, where each functions differently. Some have more disadvantages than others, so it is important to know the different options, and choose the one that works for your cleaning business. Here are three different digital tools for time tracking and how they work:
GPS Tracking
This tracking tool derives from the GPS for travelling, as we know and use almost every day. The GPS data is used to pinpoint the cleaning locations, where your employees clock in and out when they are at the location. This keeps track of time and of where your employees are physically.
Although it is effective, there are still a few downsides to the tracking method. Firstly, there is the question of privacy, keeping track of employees via GPS is allowed if consented and transparent, but it might be changed in the future. A GPS tracker also tears significantly on the battery of phones or similar devices. Additionally, the GPS tracker can be imprecise, which makes it possible for employees to check in near the location without being inside, and therefore cheat the tracking system.
QR Codes
This method involves the creation of a timesheet form where the QR code links the employees to the timesheet, where they can then check in and out. This QR codes can then be placed at the cleaning location at the client, e.g. on the cleaning cart.
However, this can also be manipulated with. The employee can take a photo of the QR code and check in with the photo without being on the location.
NFC Tags
Finally, we have the NFC tags, which functions the same way as contactless payment with card. The NFC tags are placed at the cleaning locations and scanned by the employee when they check in and check out.
NFC tags are the safest way to register time because the employees have to be physically close to the tags to scan them. It also only tracks when employees check in and out. This means that the tags cannot be manipulated with and is the most efficient way to document to your clients precisely when and where the cleaning takes place.
Choosing Your Future Amount of Administration
There are quite a few liberties when it comes to working time regulations in the UK, with an additional couple of mandatory employee rights that have to be documented. This documentation can be stored many ways. However, we hope you see the potential in digital software, and how it makes your life as an employer easier. Its accuracy and efficiency will be a great asset for your cleaning business, attracting both clients and costumers.
For another insightful read on improving your cleaning business, then check our article Keeping Up with Rising Costs: How to Present the Right Cleaning Price. If you are interested in exploring commercial cleaning software, then check out our software solutions here at CleanManager. We offer digital solutions for time tracking with NFC tags, scheduling, quote calculation, and much more. Feel free to contact us. For us, your success is our driving force, and we will be with you every step of the way.
