The different modes of working time determine who controls the scheduling of working hours. In principle, the University Administration and the Staff Council assume that­—within the context of academic work—employees will largely continue to determine their own working hours.

• Mode 1 – Sovereignty of Working Time (Arbeitszeitsouveränität): Employees can independently determine their working hours within their contractually agreed weekly working time, from Monday to Saturday between 06:00 and 23:00, while complying with occupational health and safety regulations. However, a rest period of 11 hours must be observed between two working days, and daily working hours must not exceed 10 hours. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with these regulations.
   
• Mode 2 – Assigned Working Time (Angewiesene Arbeitszeit): Supervisors (Vorgesetzte) may intervene in your sovereign working time (Mode 1) for operational reasons (e.g., for events, service/project meetings, service activities, or scheduling of teaching hours). In such cases, this is considered "assigned working time". Supervisors may only assign working time from Monday to Friday between 06:00 and 21:00. If supervisors wish to assign working hours before 08:00 or after 17:00, they should consult with you in advance to ensure work-life balance. This does not apply to assigned teaching hours, which must follow the "Recommendations on the Scheduling of Teaching Hours for Academic Employees" dated 11 April 2023. The specific needs of part-time employees must be considered.

     Special Case: Teaching (Lehre): Teaching sessions are scheduled between 08:00 and 20:00, meaning that working time assignment for this activity extends to this period. However, the recommendations for scheduling teaching hours should be observed, which include:

• Employee preferences should be taken into account as much as possible.
• Employees with caregiving responsibilities (e.g., childcare or caring for relatives) should be given priority in the allocation of teaching hours.
• Evening and weekend sessions should only be scheduled if no other solutions are possible.
  Further details can be found in the "Recommendations on the Scheduling of Teaching Hours for Academic Employees".
   
• Mode 3 – Ordered Working Time (Angeordnete Arbeitszeit / Sonderformen der Arbeit): If, due to particular operational requirements, working hours exceeding the contractual agreement (Mehrarbeit/Überstunden) or falling outside the time corridor of Mode 2 are necessary, supervisors may submit a request to the Division for Personnel and Legal Affairs (Dezernat für Personal- und Rechtsangelegenheiten, D3) for the ordering of these "special forms of work" (e.g., Science Day, weekend conferences, research tasks at night such as in astronomy, or late-night telephone conferences with international project partners). The ordering of such working hours is subject to strict rules and requires clearly defined exceptional circumstances.

For example, the mere fact that a consistently high workload exceeds the contractually agreed working hours does not justify ordering overtime. Similarly, for night work to be ordered, it must be clearly demonstrated that the tasks can only be performed at night. Otherwise, such an order is not justified.

Special compensation regulations apply to the ordering of these special forms of work. Sunday/night work and overtime qualify for additional pay and are subject to specific time compensation rules. The exact regulations can be found in § 8 of the collective agreement (TV- L).

No, supervisors cannot assign surplus or deficit hours (Plus- oder Minusstunden). These arise solely within the framework of working time sovereignty (Mode 1).

Almost all fixed-term academic employees at the University of Potsdam pursue qualification as part of their employment contract (fixed-term employment under §2(1) WissZeitVG). This means their tasks serve not only the employer ("externally beneficial work" – fremdnützige Arbeit) but also, to a certain extent, their own qualification ("self-beneficial work" – eigennützige Arbeit). The Brandenburg Higher Education Act (Brandenburgisches Hochschulgesetz) stipulates that at least one-third of the total working time must be dedicated to personal qualification. The specific share allocated to your qualification can be found in your job description.

Examples of 1/3 qualification time based on the job description:

• Half-time position (20 h) = approx. 13 h for departmental work + 7 h for personal qualification
• Full-time position (40 h) = approx. 27 h for departmental work + 13 h for personal qualification work

In response to numerous discussions with employees who repeatedly expressed concerns about insufficient time for their doctorate, habilitation, or other qualification goals, a regulation has been introduced to explicitly designate this time, ensuring better protection of qualification time.

Conversely, any time spent on personal qualification that exceeds the designated qualification share in your job description cannot be recorded as working time. However, if departmental work demands are lower than usual, these times may be used for qualification purposes.

There is a common misconception that working time recording prohibits thinking on weekends. To put it simply: no, it does not! However, Sunday work is not permitted under the Sunday and Public Holiday Act (Sonn- und Feiertagsgesetz).

Employees pursuing qualifications often complete a significant portion of their qualification work in their free time, as their working hours are insufficient for this purpose (see question 5). This work may, of course, still be carried out on Sundays, but it cannot be recorded as working time. Whether this practice supports individual well-being is at the discretion of each employee.

You alone manage your working time records but must provide them to D3 upon request. If a supervisor suspects incorrect time tracking, they may request access with D3 and staff council involvement. Employees can grant written permission for the staff council to access their records.

The retention period is three years.

If you leave employment earlier, it is recommended to retain records for at least six months in case of any potential claims.

In case of conflict, contact your Staff Council (WPR) at  (wimipr@uni-potsdam.de or prstub@uni-potsdam.de) or the D3. The Staff Council will handle your case confidentially and explore possible solutions.