Task-based working time
Task-based working time focuses on the employee's assigned goal rather than them spending a precisely defined number of hours in the office. This type of work organisation allows for flexibility and can be beneficial for both employers and employees. However, before implementing such a system, it is important to understand the provisions of the Labour Code regulating task-based working time and to learn how to maximise the potential of this mode of operation.
Table of Contents:
- What is task-based working time?
- How does the Labour Code address this system?
- Are overtime hours possible in a task-based system?
- What about time tracking in a task-based system?
- Who can benefit from this work arrangement?
What is task-based working time and how does it work?
Task-based working time is a system where employees receive appropriate instructions regarding their tasks. Employers are not interested in the hours worked, but in the achieved outcome. This allows working hours to be adjusted to different projects and goals, and, on a personal level, to one's lifestyle. It is therefore a solution chosen when performing professional duties under a standard system would involve too many organisational difficulties for one or both parties.
The most important feature of task-based working time is flexibility. It gives employees freedom in planning their daily duties and allows for better use of time during the day. A clearly defined goal, the earlier achievement of which guarantees more time for oneself, motivates them to greater productivity. At the same time, the employer does not have to devote resources to monitoring working time.
Task-based working time can also be beneficial in terms of work-life balance. Employees can align their tasks with family commitments and be sure that they can give their best at work without neglecting important household duties. However, they must be very disciplined and capable of choosing the right means to achieve their goals. Otherwise, they will constantly be chasing deadlines, which will extend their working hours. Most often without additional remuneration, although that is also possible.
Task-based working time and the Labour Code
The possibility of introducing task-based working time is directly stipulated by Article 140 of the Act of 26 June 1974 – Labour Code, which states that “in cases justified by the nature of the work, its organisation or the place of its performance, a task-based working time system may be applied”. This is a rather general description, which gives employees and employers a lot of flexibility. However, the ironclad principle is the freedom regarding the start and end times of work. If the employer were to decide on these hours, then task-based working time would not apply. Such an arrangement requires the use of a standard system.
Flexibility also does not entail the right to impose impossible demands. Further in Article 140 of the Labour Code, we read that “the employer, in agreement with the employee, determines the time necessary to perform the entrusted tasks, taking into account the working time dimension resulting from the norms specified in Article 129, dimension and schedules of working time.” The ability to perform the agreed tasks within standard working hours (8 hours for five days a week, i.e., an average of 40 hours) is therefore another absolute starting point for discussing a task-based system.
It will definitely not be a panacea for a situation where the basic working time is too short to achieve the employer's ambitious goals. Treating it this way is tantamount to violating the Labour Code.
Are overtime hours possible in a task-based working time system?
When tasks agreed upon with the employee exceed the physical capacity to complete them within the basic working time compliant with Article 129 of the Labour Code, the employer is required to pay remuneration due for work performed beyond the statutory norms. This means that overtime hours are indeed possible in a task-based system.
However, this does not mean that it is easy to claim additional remuneration due to excessive duties. Proving that specific tasks are objectively impossible to perform is a huge challenge. For this reason, overtime is usually discussed in cases of undertaking additional or unexpected duties that require immediate response. This concerns the protection of human life or health, the protection of property, or the removal of failures.
What about time tracking in a task-based system?
As a rule, in a task-based system, the employer is exempt from the obligation to maintain time tracking records. Employee activities are controlled at the stage of verifying whether entrusted tasks have been completed within the agreed deadline. Defining goals and the time needed to achieve them should be carried out jointly with the employee, so they have the opportunity to verify whether they can meet the requirements.
According to the Supreme Court's judgment of 16 October 2009, proving that tasks can be performed within the time limits compliant with the Labour Code rests with the employer. Their scope should therefore be included in one of the following documents:
- employment contract,
- addendum to the employment contract,
- separate document related to the employment contract,
- work regulations,
- collective agreement.
Who can benefit from this work arrangement?
Task-based working time is definitely not for everyone. It certainly requires self-discipline from employees, but experience is equally important in this case. A person at the beginning of their professional career is not yet able to accurately gauge the time needed to complete their tasks. For a long time, they may struggle not only with the need to learn the job but also with catching up on backlogs that “objectively” might not have arisen. For experienced employees, however, this mode will allow for better use of skills and expertise, as it emphasises quality and results, not just the amount of time spent at work.
Flexible working hours can help improve the quality of family life through increased planning freedom. It allows for better alignment of duties with one's schedule, which means less stress and more time for family when it is most needed. The task-based system also facilitates activities outside of work, such as studies or other hobbies.
The task-based approach also has several advantages from the employer's perspective, among which the expected increase in productivity is not even the most important. In an era of widespread remote and hybrid work, a flexible approach to time spent in the office is a significant plus in the context of recruitment. If the company manages to develop a satisfactory task-based work model over time, it will also better utilise the potential of experienced employees. Both these factors will translate into a greater number of potential candidates for employment and better retention.
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