The new time record will require breaks to be detailed and will have to be digital.

BarcelonaThe new timesheet will require detailing, among other aspects, work breaks within the workday, as well as overtime and how they will be compensated, whether through rest time or pay. According to the draft royal decree The new register, which entered the public consultation phase this Thursday, must be digital in all companies and be "objective, reliable, and accessible." Therefore, it banishes the formula by which some workers still recorded their workday with pen and paper.

Among the details it must collect are the specific start and end times of each break. It must also include whether the workday is carried out in person or remotely, and it must also be communicated whether the hours worked are regular, extraordinary, or complementary. In the case of overtime, the text adds, it must specify whether they will be compensated with rest time or paid. The register will also require detailing waiting times, those moments when the worker is at the company's disposal, or interruptions in the enjoyment of the right to disconnect.

Furthermore, the draft royal decree insists that it is the worker who must complete the register "freely, personally, directly, and immediately upon the start and end of each mandatory registration situation." Furthermore, any modification must be approved by both the company and the employee, and in the event of a disagreement, the employee's legal representative will be consulted. If an agreement is not reached, the employee will record their disagreement in the same registry. The company must ensure that the registry is not located in public areas or accessible to others, as well as ensure the data is retained for four years.

Remote Access by the Inspection

Another important point of this new registry is that the Labor and Social Security Inspectorate will be able to access it "at any time and immediately, remotely and in person at the workplace." Unions will also have access, always ensuring that data protection is respected. The Spanish government approved last week the urgent processing of this reform, after the Ministry of Labor decided to push it through separately. in the face of Congress' rejection of the reduction bill of the working day.

In the report accompanying the regulation, the Ministry of Labor, headed by Yolanda Díaz, acknowledges that these improvements in time control "could lead to an increase in contributions and personal income tax by bringing to light some of the 2.5 million unpaid overtime hours" recorded in Spain. However, it recognizes that these potential increases are "imponderable a priori" and does not foresee a significant impact in budgetary terms.