What is timekeeping?

Timekeeping (also called time tracking or working time registration) is a systematic way of keeping track of how long employees are at work. In the restaurant and café industry, where working days often involve changing shifts, part-time hours and flexible schedules, correct registration of hours is essential. The term covers the process of recording the exact working time for each employee – typically by staff “checking in” and “checking out” (clocking in/out) via a digital solution such as a POS system. This registration is then used for payroll, shift planning and analysis of staff costs.

For café and restaurant owners, timekeeping gives a clear overview of when employees actually work and ensures nobody is underpaid or overpaid. It also helps you comply with legal requirements and any collective agreements, so the business follows the rules while operations run as efficiently as possible – without too many or too few people at work at once.

Timekeeping in practice in restaurants, cafés and bars

Busy lunch in the café

Imagine a café where today's team has four employees. When they arrive, they log their arrival on the POS screen at the counter, and when they go home, they log out again. The system automatically records their exact working time and ensures the manager can always see who has been on shift and how many hours need to be paid. Timekeeping makes it easy to spot no-shows, late arrivals or overtime during the day. If an employee is 10 minutes late, the system shows it – and if someone else works a little extra to cover the rush, those extra minutes are registered automatically too.

Weekend rush in the bar

Think of a busy Saturday night in a cocktail bar. The bartenders check in on the POS when they arrive. If it suddenly gets busier than expected, the manager can call in an extra part-time employee. As soon as the extra help arrives, they register their start time in the system, perhaps via a tablet in the bar. That way the extra hours are included in timekeeping, so the employee gets paid for them, and management can see in real time that there is now an extra person at work. If the evening runs past closing time, the system registers that too – and it can even trigger an automatic overtime supplement according to the rules that have been set up. Later, the manager can match the total hours for the evening against revenue to assess the labour cost percentage (wage costs as a share of sales). All of this runs smoothly thanks to digital timekeeping integrated into the POS system.

Why is timekeeping important in a POS system?

When timekeeping is integrated into the business's POS system, it brings both efficiency and precision. Efficiency comes from data being collected continuously without extra work – saving time for both management and staff, as there are no manual timesheets or hours to type in afterwards. Precision increases because the system minimises errors: check-ins and check-outs are recorded instantly and accurately, which makes reconciling pay easy and reliable. Employees simply use the familiar POS to clock in, instead of paper sheets or a separate punch clock, which reduces forgotten registrations.

The data collected also gives the business valuable insights. You can pull reports showing exactly how many hours were used at which times and compare them with revenue. This enables strategic decisions about staffing and budget – for example, you can identify periods that are overstaffed (more people at work than needed) or understaffed, and adjust future schedules accordingly. You can also calculate the labour cost percentage (wages as a share of revenue) for each day or hour, so you keep an eye on how wage costs develop.

Another important reason is compliance – following rules and laws. Without a proper system you risk errors such as forgotten hours, incorrect payments or breaches of working time rules (e.g. rest period rules). With timekeeping integrated into the POS, on the other hand, you can automatically make sure working time rules and any breaks and supplements required by collective agreements are followed. The system documents everything, so the business has proof of employees' working hours in case of pay disputes or inspections by the authorities. In short: without digital support, timekeeping can be cumbersome and inaccurate, but with a good POS-integrated system everything runs smoothly and correctly – benefiting both operations and the bottom line.

How does Flexybox support timekeeping?

Flexybox has timekeeping built directly into both the POS and the booking system. This means employees can easily register their check-in and check-out on the same terminal they use to serve guests – no separate system is needed. The manager gets a real-time overview of the day's staffing: one screen shows exactly who is logged in right now and whether anyone has not yet turned up for their shift. If an employee forgets to check out, the manager can quickly spot it and correct the time in the system.

Flexybox' solution also supports registering breaks and handling special rules. Staff can, for example, log their breaks so they do not count as paid working time, and any supplements (such as evening and weekend supplements or overtime) are calculated automatically from the registered times. The system can be set up in advance according to the industry's rules and the business's own shift policies, so everything runs automatically.

Another advantage is that the registered hours can be integrated with payroll. Flexybox lets you export working hours directly to popular payroll systems or payroll software. So when the month ends, you can transfer all approved hours to payroll in a few clicks without typing anything manually – saving time and eliminating typing errors. Flexybox also combines shift planning and timekeeping in one system, so managers can plan shifts (for example via Flexybox' shift scheduling module) and then see the actual clock-ins and clock-outs side by side.

This link between the schedule and actual attendance makes it easy to adjust going forward and ensures continuous optimisation of operations. Overall, Flexybox supports timekeeping by offering a complete digital solution: registration of check-ins, check-outs and breaks, a real-time overview, automatic pay calculation according to the rules and seamless integration with other systems – all to make managing employee hours as easy as possible while reducing errors and costs.

Benefits:

Correct pay – Ensures employees get exactly the pay they have earned, neither too much nor too little.

Less administration – Automating time registration saves administrative time by eliminating manual timesheets and data entry.

Better shift planning – Provides data to optimise staffing based on when you are actually busy, so the schedule always matches demand.

Lower labour cost percentage – Helps reduce wage costs relative to revenue through better planning and fewer unnecessary hours.

Legal compliance – Ensures working time rules (such as the 11-hour rest rule) and collective agreements are followed, with documentation ready for any inspection.

Employee satisfaction – Increases transparency and peace of mind, as staff know their hours are recorded correctly and they are paid for exactly the hours they have worked.

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

In many countries, yes. Under EU law, as interpreted by the EU Court of Justice in 2019, employers must have a system for recording employees' working time, and each country implements this in its own rules. In Denmark, for example, a duty to register working time has applied to all employers since 1 July 2024. Rules differ by country, so check what applies where you employ staff. In practice, every business should have a reliable timekeeping system – digital or not – so employees' working hours can be documented.

Yes, it is strongly recommended that every employee records their working time. Whether full-time or part-time, timekeeping ensures correct pay for the exact number of hours, compliance with working time rules and documentation if there is ever doubt about an employee's hours. It gives a fair and consistent practice for everyone in the workplace.

Absolutely. Timekeeping is ideal for businesses with many part-time employees and varying working hours – exactly what you see in the café and restaurant industry. With a digital system it becomes easy to handle different weekly hours; everyone clocks in and out, so you get an accurate overview of the hours each employee has contributed. It ensures part-timers are paid for every minute they work, and that you as a manager can easily follow their hours.

The terms timekeeping and time tracking are often used interchangeably, and in everyday speech they mean much the same. There is a small nuance, though: timekeeping typically focuses on recording pure working hours (when the employee is at work), while time tracking can cover a broader use of time – for example including breaks, project time or other activities beyond normal working hours. In a restaurant context, people usually do not draw a sharp line between the terms, and both are basically about logging employees' working time.

Now and then a busy employee arrives and forgets to clock in, or forgets to check out when the shift ends. In a good timekeeping system, an administrator or manager can correct it afterwards. With Flexybox, for example, you can adjust the clock times manually with the right permissions. It is a good idea to have clear procedures: the employee should inform the manager as soon as possible, who can then register the correct time. That way payroll data stays correct and everything is documented – the system can often store a note about who changed a time and why, for full transparency.

Yes, modern timekeeping systems can usually integrate directly with payroll systems. This means the registered hours can be transferred automatically to the payroll software, so pay is calculated and paid out without manual entry. With Flexybox, for example, you can export approved hours to your payroll system in a few clicks. This integration saves a lot of time in payroll administration and reduces the risk of errors, because you avoid typing hours in several places.

Yes, several providers (including Flexybox) offer mobile timekeeping. This means you can use an app or a web portal to check in and out. In practice, many restaurants handle timekeeping directly on a fixed POS terminal in the restaurant – which ensures registration happens at the workplace and in connection with the shift. But a mobile solution can be useful in some cases: for example, a manager on the go can check staffing from their phone, or if you hold an external event away from the restaurant, staff can clock in on their smartphones. The flexibility of an app-based solution makes it easier to always register time correctly, wherever you work.