Eurobank: Complying swiftly with a new labor law thanks to a reliable and accurate time management system
Meeting a strict deadline for legal compliance
When Greece enacted a labor law designed to create transparent, predictable working conditions, Eurobank S.A. knew what to do. Having already implemented SAP SuccessFactors HCM, it used the SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking solution and SAP Business Technology Platform to quickly comply with the legislation while keeping employee experience in focus.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Banking | Athens, Greece | 6,500 employees |
clock-in and clock-out compliance.
decrease in the frequency of neglected clock-outs.
reduction in data-uploading errors, increasing accuracy.
Head of People Technology and Internal Communication, Eurobank S.A.
Protecting employees while safeguarding compliance
As one of Greece’s largest employers, Eurobank S.A. fosters a culture of corporate responsibility and employee-centric policies. With an expansive presence featuring 500 offices in Greece and 120 sites across Europe, the banking organization places a critical emphasis on ensuring a seamless employee experience and the well-being of its workforce.
The significance of maintaining this seamless experience throughout all HR processes, while at the same time promoting a healthy balance between work and personal life, came to the forefront following the enactment of a new labor law by the Greek government. This legislation aimed to foster transparent and predictable working conditions while simplifying procedures within the labor inspectorate’s information platform, ERGANI II. The law mandated that organizations in specific sectors monitor employees’ work schedules, shift planning, and overtime meticulously. Employees were required to clock in and out each day, and employers were required to send this employee data in real time to the ERGANI II platform.
Faced with the new regulatory requirements, Eurobank needed to ensure seamless compliance without disrupting its existing HR processes. The challenge was to find a reliable and accurate time-tracking solution that could integrate smoothly with its current systems. Eurobank’s solution was to adopt advanced time-tracking technology that not only met legal requirements but also aligned with the bank’s framework of efficiency and employee support.
Enabling its 5,000 affected Greek employees to clock in and out every day was no easy task, but a zero-tolerance deadline meant tardy implementation was not an option. Eurobank needed to avoid potential noncompliance fines of approximately €10,000 per employee by adhering to a stringent project schedule and applying effective risk management strategies.
In addition to supporting compliance, the new solution had to streamline HR administrators’ workloads for greater efficiency. “It had to be simple,” says Maria Tachataki, the bank’s head of people technology and internal communication. “We wanted to base reporting and analytics on the solution to improve decision-making and to combine the strict legal requirements with a smooth and flexible work experience. We had to be very smart about this, and we needed to do it fast.”
Head of People Technology and Internal Communication, Eurobank S.A.
Prioritizing data accuracy, integration, and employee experience
Eurobank had a head start when it came to this challenge. Since 2018, it had been using SAP SuccessFactors HCM to deliver an engaging employee experience. The bank had also recently introduced SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) to help it innovate and adapt to evolving business needs.
This made the SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking solution the obvious choice. The solution would integrate smoothly with diverse software in the unified HR ecosystem, promoting data consistency, helping eliminate data silos, and aiding efficient information exchange across different HR functions. And its intuitive and personalized user experience across multiple devices would encourage adoption and compliance.
Smooth integration between the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central solution and SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking was key. While the former houses core employee data such as roles, employment statuses, and organizational assignments, the latter handles the granular details of absences, work schedules, overtime, and hours worked. By working in tandem, both solutions would help ensure time-related data was accurate, up to date, and easier to manage.
For example, Eurobank had already enabled absence-management functionality within SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, meaning existing employee schedules, time profiles, and other time-related data could natively connect with SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking. Similarly, time-sheet functionality consolidated diverse aspects of employee time and absences, including scheduled hours, leave, and overtime. With this information centralized, managers had a comprehensive picture of how employee time is used and could adjust staffing, work allocation, and planning accordingly.
Meanwhile, SAP BTP and offerings such as SAP Integration Suite, SAP HANA Cloud, and the Cloud Foundry runtime for SAP BTP would enable flexibility and scalability by letting Eurobank adapt SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking to its needs. The bank customized an interface so that data collection adhered precisely to the requirements of Greek law. Altogether, the team developed 28 interfaces to facilitate 24x7 data exchange with the labor inspectorate’s platform.
After an intensive project that included a blueprint phase and near-daily interactions with the ministry of labor, Eurobank went live with SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking in six months.
A change management program comprising robust stakeholder engagement and communication strategies was vital to project success. Measures to encourage adoption included workshops and focus groups to discuss concerns as well as pilot programs that let employees experience the new system in a controlled environment and provide feedback.
“We provided a lot of training and support before we went live,” says Tachataki. “We went through a change management pathway with our employees to allow them time to adapt to this new reality.”
Aiding transparency with real-time insights and intuitive applications
Each working day for 5,000 Eurobank employees now begins with clocking in on a personalized application enabled by SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking. By measuring employee punctuality and adherence to scheduled work hours, the solution aids compliance with labor laws while helping ensure these employees are paid accurately and on time.
Whether clocking in or out, workers see a clean, simplified interface that lets them act quickly and view their schedule—including flex time, approved overtime, and estimated leave time.
Thanks to this enhanced interface, real-time notifications, and advanced reporting capabilities, compliance swiftly improved by around 75% within two months of deployment, ultimately reaching 99%. Complete daily compliance is not possible in any organization, but SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking brings Eurobank close to this goal by enabling greater data accuracy and transparency.
Tracking neglected clock-outs and reducing their frequency has been one of the most critical improvements. Prompt notifications of missed clock-outs help employees react instantly, and advanced reporting allows managers to quickly address issues before they impact compliance.
Eurobank can better monitor preapproved overtime, allowing for efficient management of labor costs amid increased workloads. With insights into these overtime patterns, managers can make informed decisions on staffing and resource allocation. The bank can identify workload peaks and adjust staffing proactively, aligning employee efforts with its needs and providing adequate support during busy periods.
Robust metrics also help the bank monitor employee-absence trends and manage workforce coverage more effectively. Addressing potential gaps in team performance due to unplanned absences helps keep productivity high and minimize operational disruptions.
And on the IT side, a robust connection with the labor inspectorate’s platform—serving 131,000 API calls each month—has significantly streamlined data uploads, reducing errors, failures, and risk.
Continuing to prosper within a connected landscape
Eurobank now sees many possibilities for using additional SAP solutions to enhance life for its employees.
By integrating innovative solutions and leveraging advanced technology, it aims to create an environment where employees can thrive and grow.
Eurobank’s strategic vision includes deploying the talent intelligence hub and growth profile functionalities within SAP SuccessFactors solutions to harness AI and people analytics and facilitate data-driven decisions that optimize talent acquisition, development, and retention. In addition, focusing on a comprehensive skills taxonomy will allow the organization to effectively match employees’ capabilities with suitable roles, fostering a more dynamic and responsive workforce. This approach not only enhances the bank’s operational efficiency but also supports its broader goal of becoming a skills-based organization.
The bank also intends to use the robust infrastructure of SAP BTP to build innovative custom applications that streamline and digitalize operations and improve employee satisfaction. The bank’s goal is for lightweight, employee-centric applications built on SAP BTP to boost productivity and engagement by providing real-time access to essential HR offerings, including self-service tools, feedback, and personalized learning recommendations.
Also on the agenda is exploring how the Joule copilot can save time and improve efficiency by streamlining and automating HR processes.
Together, the company plans for these to create an even more integrated and responsive HR ecosystem. By automating routine tasks and providing better insights into employee behavior and performance, Eurobank can continue to envision “a world filled with prosperity” for both its customers and its people.