Works council and AI in the team: introducing planning software together

A tool that knows tasks, times and capacity can also evaluate people. That's exactly why works councils have a say in its introduction, in Germany under § 87 (1) no. 6 BetrVG. And that's why it's wise to put the topic on the table at the start, not at the end. Here is how Resourcecloud handles it.

Honest up front

Resourcecloud is a tool for planning and time tracking. Time entries, comments and assignments carry the person's name. If an administrator switches it on, managers can generate reports about individual people. So evaluating individuals is technically possible. We don't claim otherwise. What we do is make sure it's only switched on deliberately, visibly and with consent.

What is blocked technically

• Off by default. Reports about individuals and per-person utilisation are off in a new instance. As long as they're off, another person's report is refused even when the address is called directly.
• Switching on is never silent. The administrator confirms in a dialog that all employees will be notified and that in many countries this requires the works council's consent. After that, everyone receives a notice they can't unsubscribe from. Switching off is announced as well.
• Visible in the profile. Every profile shows which evaluations are switched on, since when and by whom.
• Graded visibility. Team leads see individuals in their team only when the switch is on. Department heads see aggregates, higher levels coarser groupings. The limit sits in the data layer, not just in the display.
• AI without rankings. The assistant gets no names next to performance or utilisation figures. Questions about rankings of people are rejected by a filter before any data is loaded. The assistant sees the asking person's own figures.
• Calendar only with consent. From Outlook only free/busy is read, only for people who switch it on themselves, and only as one number per working day. Subject, location and attendees aren't read.
• Private tasks are only visible to their creator and assignee.

The blocks are backed by automated tests in the source code that run with every change.

What Resourcecloud does not rule out

The package names the limits so that nobody finds them later: reports about people when the switch is on, names attached to work data (the proof of work can't be switched off), stored login times and the power of administrators. These belong in a works agreement.

The works council package

For works and staff councils, data protection officers and procurement we've put together a package: technical blocks with evidence, honest limits and a sample works agreement. Important: the package is a draft. The parts on blocks and limits are checked against code and tests. The sample is a proposal, not legal advice, and hasn't been legally reviewed yet. Discuss it with your legal counsel before using it.

Tip for the conversation

Invite the works council to a demo early. First show what is switched off, then together look at the switch and the notice to everyone. That takes a lot of mistrust out of the topic.