Time change & time recording: What event companies need to pay particular attention to

Twice a year, the same question arises: What happens to time tracking when the clocks change? In the events industry, where night work is common and shifts overlap seamlessly, the switch from summer to winter time (and vice versa) can easily lead to confusion or even billing errors.

To avoid technical problems and disagreements with employees, companies should pay particular attention to a few points.

The time change – small change, big impact

When the clocks are set forward one hour in spring (daylight saving time) or back one hour in fall (standard time), this has a direct impact on every shift that takes place on that night:

• Start of daylight saving time (one hour less)
  A shift scheduled from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. actually lasts only seven hours instead of eight.
  → Employees therefore work one hour less, even though the time appears “normal.”
• Start of winter time (one hour more)
  Here, the same shift suddenly lasts nine hours because the hour between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. occurs twice.
  → Employees work one hour longer if they are on duty continuously.

In the event industry, this mainly affects setup and dismantling crews, technicians, security personnel, night logistics, and riggers, who often work at night.

Time recording systems: Pitfalls on the night of the changeover

Automatic or manual conversion

Modern electronic time recording systems synchronize automatically with Internet time servers. Nevertheless, you should check whether your system is performing the changeover correctly and only once.

Duplicate timestamps and missing hours

On the night of the changeover, the following may occur:

• two identical bookings (e.g., twice at 2:15 a.m.) appear during winter time, or
• during daylight saving time, timestamps (e.g., 2:30 a.m.) do not exist at all.

Time recording systems must be able to interpret these special cases clearly, for example, by using an internal UTC time base or special logic for the changeover night.

Manual post-processing

It is particularly worthwhile taking a look at the settings for older or location-based systems:

• Is the time zone set correctly?
• Is there an option to “automatically adjust for daylight saving time”?
• Are night shift bonuses calculated based on actual working hours or the time of day?

Effects on payroll accounting and working time accounts

The time change also has billing implications:

• Payroll:
  Winter time often results in one hour of overtime, while summer time results in one hour of reduced working hours. These differences must be clearly and fairly reflected.
• Surcharges:
  Night and Sunday bonuses should be based on actual working hours. The double-counted hour in winter time must not be remunerated twice if it was not actually worked.
• Flexitime accounts:
  Depending on the system, the time setting may change automatically. A manual check helps to avoid discrepancies.

Incidentally, some collective agreements or company agreements stipulate that employees must not be disadvantaged—i.e., they must be paid for their full shift even when the clocks change in summer. Manual follow-up work may be necessary in this case.

Recommendations for companies in the event sector

Before the time change:

• Check the settings of your time recording system (time zone, daylight saving time rules).
• Inform your shift and project managers about the change.
• When planning shifts that fall on the night of the changeover, be sure to allow for an hour’s buffer.
• Please observe the legal requirements regarding maximum working hours and rest periods – the maximum working time and the minimum rest period that are legally binding in many countries around the world also apply during the time change.

After the time change:

• The following day, carry out a random check of the time records.
• Check for unusual working hours (e.g., extremely short or long shifts).
• If necessary, correct time accounts or payroll accounting manually.

Conclusion: Small change, big impact

The time change is a recurring but often overlooked issue in everyday event management. Especially in an industry that works at night, is mobile, and relies on accurate billing, a quick technical check is doubly worthwhile.

A clean time tracking system and clear communication ensure that everyone involved -whether crew, technical staff, or dispatchers – is correctly recorded, fairly compensated, and legally documented.

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This post is also available in de_DE.