Updated 2026-07-18 · 4 min read
Who this is for. The requirements below are those of Spanish employment law, so this is written for salons in Spain whose owners don't read Spanish. Outside Spain it does not apply as written: the questions about ease of use travel, the legal minimums don't.
With the new time-record decree on the horizon, half the trade is shopping for a «time-clock system» at once. And out there you'll find everything: free apps that wouldn't survive an inspection, expensive terminals nobody uses, and spreadsheets dressed up as a solution. This article is your filter: eight questions that separate what complies and works from what will land you in trouble. Use it on us and on anybody else.
The 8 questions before you decide
1. Is it genuinely tamper-proof? The number-one question. If you (or anybody) can edit a past entry without leaving a trace, it doesn't meet the new decree and it's vulnerable in an inspection. Ask them to show you what happens when an entry is corrected: it has to leave a record of who, when and why.
2. How is a mistake corrected? Because there will be some: somebody forgets to clock out. A good system doesn't let you «delete and rewrite»: it requires a correction agreed by both sides (employer and employee) and records it. That, which sounds inconvenient, is exactly what protects you.
3. Is clocking in genuinely quick? In a salon people clock in between clients, in a hurry. If it takes more than two taps, your team will stop doing it properly within a week. Try the real flow before you sign.
4. Does it handle split shifts and several professionals? The typical salon has split shifts (morning and afternoon) and a team. The system has to add up the day's segments and tell each person apart without fuss.
5. Does it produce the report for the Inspectorate in one click? When the request arrives — sometimes with a 24-48 hour deadline — you need the complete record instantly, not an afternoon reconstructing it. An inspection is an exam with the syllabus published: your system should pass it for you.
6. Does it avoid biometrics? If they offer you a fingerprint reader or facial recognition, be careful: biometrics are restricted by the data protection authority and the draft decree bans them save for exceptions. A PIN, a card or an app are the safe routes.
7. Where does the data live and who answers for the GDPR? This is your employees' data. The provider has to offer you a data processing agreement and store the records securely, preferably within the EU.
8. Does it integrate with what you already use, or is it one more program? Here's the hidden saving. A separate time-clock system is one more account, one more app, one more invoice. If the time record lives inside the tool you already use for your calendar and your WhatsApp, your team learns nothing new and you don't pay twice.
The three expensive mistakes
The «free» that costs dear: free apps that turn out to be editable (they don't comply) or that shut down one day and hand your data back in a poor state. The fingerprint terminal: expensive, awkward and a data protection problem. The same old spreadsheet: comfortable today, a fine tomorrow — it's exactly what the new decree exists to eliminate.
Our own side, held to the same standard
At ClaudIA the time record lives inside the assistant that already looks after your salon: your team clocks in from the tablet's kiosk mode or from their own phone, entries are tamper-proof with a trace of every change, corrections require both sides to agree, the report for the Inspectorate comes out in one click, and there are no biometrics. It's included from the Pro plan — not a separate account and not a separate invoice. And because it was designed for salons from scratch, clocking in takes two taps between one client and the next.
Whatever you choose, hold on to question 1: if it can be edited without a trace, it's no use to you. Everything else is convenience; that one is the law.