Bremen Launches Pilot for Digital Tracking of Teachers' Work Hours
The state of Bremen is introducing a pilot program to digitally record the complete working hours of teachers, aiming to bring greater transparency to the full scope of their professional responsibilities. Beginning in August 2026, educators at nine selected schools across Bremen and Bremerhaven will systematically document their daily work, including traditionally overlooked tasks such as lesson preparation, grading, parent-teacher meetings, and supervisory duties.
This initiative marks the first time a German state has implemented comprehensive digital time tracking for school staff. The pilot utilizes the 'Untis Arbeitszeit' application, developed collaboratively by the state and scheduling software provider Untis. The application enables teachers to select from predefined categories--such as classroom teaching, administrative tasks, educational communication, and school organization--and to record the time spent on each activity at the end of each workday. The approach is designed to minimize administrative burden by allowing approximate entries rather than requiring minute-by-minute precision.
According to the state's education authority, the nine participating schools represent a range of educational settings, including primary schools, secondary schools, comprehensive schools, and a school dedicated to welcoming new arrivals. The selection was intended to encompass a variety of social contexts and institutional profiles, ensuring results reflect diverse teaching environments. Several schools involved in the pilot had previously contributed to the 'Freiräume(n)' project, which developed a model for categorizing teachers' tasks.
The 'Untis Arbeitszeit' tool builds on existing digital infrastructure already in use for timetabling and substitute planning in many schools. The application is compatible with teachers' official devices and is designed to be accessible and user-friendly. Staff representation groups, including advocates for those with disabilities, were involved in the project's planning from the outset. School management teams are provided with dashboards displaying aggregated, anonymized data on teaching coverage and the distribution of work activities, supporting more informed organizational decisions.
All data handling complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Untis acts as a commissioned data processor, and teachers are only able to view and manage their own records. School leaders access only summarized statistics, ensuring individual privacy. To support the implementation, a comprehensive FAQ addresses common concerns, such as procedures for missing entries or clarification on activity categories.
The legal requirement for this step stems from a 2022 ruling by the Federal Labor Court, mandating that employers in Germany must record all employee working hours. While a recent survey showed that three out of four German companies have already adopted digital time tracking systems, the education sector has largely limited such measures to overtime or additional work accounts. Bremen's pilot extends this practice to all activities that constitute teachers' work, offering a more complete view of their workload.
The results of the pilot, expected in 2027, are intended to guide future decisions aimed at reducing excessive workloads and freeing up more time for core educational responsibilities. The evaluation will be supported by the Deutsche Telekom Stiftung, which will participate in analyzing the pilot's findings. The project's stakeholders anticipate that the collected data will serve as a model for other German states considering similar reforms.
Stakeholders emphasize that the project is not an end in itself but a step towards improving organizational processes within schools, potentially leading to better teaching and learning conditions. The initiative also reflects growing recognition of the extensive, often invisible work teachers contribute to the education system, with the goal of achieving more equitable and sustainable working conditions.