Working time limits
The timesheet measures every day against two different yardsticks: the planned hours on record and the statutory limits of the German working time act. This page is where you set the second one. Until this page is used for the first time, the values of the working time act for adults apply everywhere - you do not have to do anything here for the check to work.
You may tighten any limit, but not loosen it. A works agreement that caps the working day at seven hours can be entered here; a daily maximum of twelve hours is rejected on save, and the page tells you exactly which value falls below the statutory level of protection.
/hr/working-time-limitsWhat can I do here?
- See the limits in force, each with its unit and reference period
- Tighten individual limits and add your own tiers to the break table
- Adopt a prepared template: the working time act (adults) or the act on the protection of young people at work (minors)
- Reset to the statutory default
Unit and reference period: the most important point on this page
Every limit is shown with its unit and its reference period next to the field. That is not decoration: "8" and "160" are not the same value written two ways, they are a daily figure and a monthly one. A field that leaves open what the number refers to will sooner or later be filled in wrongly - and a wrongly entered working time limit is noticed only once it appears in a record.
Pay particular attention to the break table: the left column carries hours (the working time above which the tier applies), the right one carries minutes (the break that is then owed). The two columns deliberately sit next to each other in one row, because together they form one sentence - "above 6 hours of work, at least 30 minutes of break".
Step by step
Tighten a limit
- Open HR → Working time limits.
- Enter the new value on the Limits tab. The statutory value is shown underneath each field for comparison.
- Click Save. From the next call on, the timesheet measures against the new value - including for months already recorded, because the timesheet computes on read.
Adopt a template
- Switch to the Templates tab.
- Choose Apply on the template you want.
- All values are adopted at once. You can tighten them further afterwards.
Reset
- On the Limits tab, click Reset to the statutory default.
- The working time act for adults applies again, and the tenant counts as "never maintained". That is different from entering the statutory numbers by hand: if the default changes later, a reset tenant follows automatically, a hand-maintained one does not.
Fields explained
| Field | Unit and reference period | Meaning | Statutory value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular daily maximum | hours per working day | The limit a working day should not exceed as a rule (section 3 sentence 1 ArbZG) | 8 |
| Absolute daily maximum | hours per working day | The limit that no averaging can lift (section 3 sentence 2 ArbZG) | 10 |
| Highest daily average | hours per day, averaged across the compensation window | The average a day above the regular limit has to stay within | 8 |
| Minimum rest period | hours between two working days | The uninterrupted rest after work ends (section 5 ArbZG) | 11 |
| Break table: "Above working time of" | hours per working day | The working time above which the tier applies | 9 and 6 |
| Break table: "Break of at least" | minutes per working day | The break that is then owed (section 4 ArbZG) | 45 and 30 |
The table is read from the top down and the first matching tier wins. The tiers must therefore be sorted by working time in descending order; an unsorted table is rejected on save, because the check would otherwise apply the wrong tier.
Values & status
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Statutory default (ArbZG) | Nothing was ever maintained; the values of the working time act for adults apply |
| ArbZG - adults | The maintained set matches the statutory default exactly |
| JArbSchG - minors | The maintained set matches the template for minors |
| Custom limits | The maintained set differs from both templates |
The templates compared
| ArbZG - adults | JArbSchG - minors | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular daily maximum | 8 hours per working day | 8 hours per working day |
| Absolute daily maximum | 10 hours per working day | 8 hours per working day |
| Highest daily average | 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Rest break | 30 minutes above 6, 45 minutes above 9 hours | 30 minutes above 4.5, 60 minutes above 6 hours |
| Minimum rest period | 11 hours | 12 hours |
Frequently asked questions
Who may change this setting?
Only people with the "hr:manage" permission. Without it the page cannot be opened.
Why is my value rejected?
Because it falls below the statutory level of protection. The message names the affected limit, the value you submitted and the value the law allows. For the break table it additionally names the working time at which the table becomes too weak - this case also occurs when a tier was not shortened but deleted entirely.
Do the limits apply per person or per department?
No, the set applies to the whole tenant. For minors there is the stricter template; an assignment per person is not currently provided.
Does a change take effect retroactively?
The timesheet computes on read, so a past month also shows the assessment against the new set after a change. Recorded times themselves are never altered by this.
Is a change recorded?
Yes. Every save, every adopted template and every reset creates an entry in the audit trail.
Does the timesheet block an entry that breaks a limit?
No. The timesheet states a breach but rejects no entry - the judgement stays with you.