In an increasingly dynamic and competitive business world, efficient time management has become a fundamental aspect for the success of organizations.
The hours pool emerges as a strategic tool to optimize productivity and make employees’ working hours more flexible, allowing greater adaptation to market demands and the individual needs of workers.
What is the hours bag?
The hours pool is a system of time flexibility that allows hours worked above the established working day to be accumulated for later compensation.
This system is based on the premise that time is a valuable and limited resource, and that its efficient management is crucial to success at both the individual and organizational levels.
In other words, when an employee works more hours than agreed in his contract, those overtime hours are recorded in a pool of hours and can be used later to be absent from work without losing pay or to reduce the working day on days with less. workload.
How does the hours pool work in a company?
In today’s working world, flexibility is key to ensuring employees’ work-life balance. The hours pool has become an essential tool to achieve this balance, allowing workers to manage their time more efficiently. But how exactly does this system work in a company? We explain it in detail:
Agreement between the company and the workers
The implementation of the hours pool begins with an agreement between the company and its workers.
This agreement must be established through collective bargaining, collective agreement or individual agreement with each employee.
Record of overtime worked
When an employee works more hours than those marked in their ordinary workday, these hours are recorded and accumulated in the hours pool.
Suppose that in a studio, an architect is working on an important project that requires additional hours to complete. For a week, he works an extra hour a day, accumulating a total of five hours of overtime.
Compensation of accumulated hours
Once said architect accumulates these extra hours, he can choose to compensate them in the future. For example, using these accumulated hours to leave early on a Friday and enjoy an extended weekend.
By requesting this compensation, the employee does not suffer any reduction in his salary, since the accumulated overtime hours are used to cover the hours that he does not work when he leaves before the end of his day on Friday.
Respect for Legal Limits
It is important that the company guarantees that the accumulation and compensation of overtime is carried out within the limits established by current labor legislation.
This includes respecting the maximum overtime hours allowed per week or month, as well as the deadlines for their compensation.
Registration and control of the hours pool
The company must keep a detailed record of the overtime accumulated by each employee and ensure that the deadlines for their compensation are met. This guarantees transparency and equity in the use of the hours pool.
In summary, the hours pool is a valuable tool that allows employees to manage their time more flexibly, while at the same time providing companies with greater adaptability and efficiency in managing their human resources.
Essential legal requirements if you want to incorporate it into your company
As we have seen, the hours pool is a legal resource that companies can use to organize the working day of their employees and the working hours adapting to the volume of tasks or activity of the company.
The hours pool is regulated in Spain within the Workers’ Statute in article 34.2; This establishes the conditions under which this system can be established.
According to the Statute, the pool of hours must be agreed between the company and the workers’ representatives or through a collective agreement.
Both the working day and the distribution of hours must be reflected in the employment contract and all signatory parties must be aware of this assignment.
Furthermore, the maximum working day limits established by law must be respected and guarantee that the hours accumulated in the stock exchange are compensated within the maximum period established by labor regulations.
Consequently, it is important to comply with a series of conditions and legal requirements, which include:
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Only 10% of a worker’s annual hours can be redistributed:
This means that companies can adjust their workers’ working hours by a maximum of 10% of the total hours who must work during the year.
For example, if an employee must work 1,800 hours per year, the company can redistribute up to a maximum of 180 total hours throughout the year using the hours pool.
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The number of daily working hours established in the collective agreement or by law must be respected:
This means that, if the collective agreement or legislation establishes a specific limit of working hours per day (for example, 8 hours per day), the company you must ensure that you do not exceed this limit when redistributing the working day using the hours pool.
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Employee notification five days in advance:
The company must inform employees at least five days in advance before making changes to their work schedule using the time pool; making it easier for employees to prepare and adjust their personal schedules.
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The hours pool cannot be applied on holidays or non-working days:
On these types of days, employees must enjoy their rest time without the company being able to modify their schedule using the hours pool.
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Employees with reduced hours will not be able to enjoy the hours pool:
Employees with reduced hours, for example, for reasons of family conciliation or care of minors in their care, cannot participate in the hours pool.
Your working hours must be adjusted for specific reasons and it is not possible to apply the hour pool.
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Under no circumstances can daily or weekly rest hours be reduced:
The company may not use the hours pool to reduce employees’ daily or weekly rest time. Rest periods established by law or by collective agreement must be respected at all times, regardless of the application of the hours pool.
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In the event that an employee works intensive hours, their weekly workday cannot exceed 26 hours:
This limit guarantees respect for the health and well-being of the employee, as well as compliance with the labor regulations contained in the Statute of the Employees-Workers.
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The company may only apply the hours pool in cases justified by productivity:
This means that the company can only use the hours pool when there are objective and justified reasons related to productivity and the operational needs of the business. It cannot be applied arbitrarily or without solid foundations.
How to justify the incorporation of the hours pool in your company
Following the legal need to justify the use of the hours pool with objective criteria justified by the productivity and operational needs of the business; These are some methods and measures that can help a company justify the need for a pool of hours:
Workload analysis
The company can document and demonstrate that there is an increase in workload in certain periods of the year, which justifies the need to redistribute working hours using the hours pool.
Productivity report
A detailed report can be prepared showing how the use of the hours pool will contribute to improving the company’s productivity, for example, by allowing better management of human resources and adaptation to peaks in demand.
For this, it is advisable to have productivity measurement software that tracks the productivity of workers, in teleworking environments or in-person work; even where productivity comparisons can be made in both cases.
Agreement with workers’ representatives
If the company has worker representatives, it can reach an agreement with them on the need and justification for the use of the hours pool, which can serve as legal support and documentation to be provided.
Record of hours worked
The company can keep a detailed record of the hours worked by employees and how they are distributed over time, which can help support the need to use the hours pool at certain times.
This record can be kept automatically and lasting over time using time control software, which details the start, end and break times of the working day for a specific time.
In the event that disputes or claims arise from employees or labor authorities, having solid, objective documentation and clear justification for the use of the hours pool can be essential to support the company’s decision and avoid possible sanctions.
