Massive Relief for HR
How the family-owned business Rudnick from Aurich has been using SEAK since 2018 to manage four-day weeks, flexible working time models, and even complex short-time work periods — all in full legal compliance.
Rudnick at a Glance
Rudnick is a family-owned business based in East Frisia, founded in 1953. It operates three stores in Aurich — a fashion house, a baby store, and a furniture & kitchen showroom. With a four-day workweek and highly flexible, individualized working arrangements, Rudnick takes a proactive stance against the skilled labor shortage affecting the retail sector.
Team
125 Employees
Market Segment
Three stores under one roof: Fashion House, Baby House, and Furniture & Kitchen House
Sales Floor
approx. 15,000 m²
Location
Aurich, Lower Saxony
Founded
1953 – Present Family-Owned Business
Highlight
Four-Day Workweek and Flexible Work Schedules as a Recruiting and Retention Strategy
Customer since
2018
Deployed SEAK Modules
Time & Attendance (SEAKproHR) and Workforce Scheduling – incl. Short-Time Work Features
Numbers, Data, Facts
Houses Under One Roof – Fashion, Baby, Furniture & Kitchens
Employees with highly individualized working time models
Rudnick Manages Time Tracking and Workforce Scheduling with SEAK
The Challenge
Manual processes, mountains of paperwork — and highly individualized agreements that multiplied the complexity
Even before 2018, Rudnick offered its 125 employees a four-day work week and fully customizable working time arrangements. But that very flexibility came at a cost for HR: time tracking, weekly scheduling, vacation planning — all handled manually, buried in paperwork, with no automated calculation in sight.
Three specific pain points were holding them back:
High Administrative Overhead
Managing time tracking and workforce scheduling was particularly complex due to highly individualized working time agreements.
Manual Planning
Planning and control processes were entirely manual — the system didn't do the math, the HR department did.
Everyday Admin
Leave requests, corrections, and timesheets lived on paper — with all the consequences that brings: time lost searching and an ever-present risk of errors.
Iris Dannholz – Head of HR – Rudnick
"We specifically wanted to make time tracking for around 125 employees more efficient. Our goal was to replace the paperwork with a digital solution."
The Decision: Online Research and Industry Association Recommendations
Rudnick began by researching solutions online and comparing offerings. Recommendations from industry associations and their members further supported the decision — and ultimately, SEAK came out on top.
From Blueprint to Digital Reality
SEAK has taken Rudnick fully digital. HR management and five department heads all work within a single platform. Weekly schedules are created by department heads based on a predefined baseline plan — with system-generated staffing suggestions intentionally left aside, since Rudnick employees are not assigned to a fixed location or department.
The pandemic put the platform to the ultimate test. Constantly changing short-time work regulations, partial furloughs, store closures — all of it had to be reported to the employment agency in full legal compliance. Authorities subsequently conducted rigorous audits. Not a single violation was found.
What the software actually covers
Legally Compliant Time Tracking
Accurate, legally compliant time tracking and calculation — so your system does the heavy lifting, not your HR team.
Custom Agreements
Hours, working times, deployment days, and areas of responsibility per employee — all stored in the master data.
Four-Day Work Week Logic
Two days off per week per employee — one fixed, one flexible — handled natively by the system. No workarounds required.
Balance Overview Day/Week/Month/Year
Complete visibility into time balances across all levels of aggregation.
Payroll Interface
Seamless transfer to your payroll system via a standard interface — no manual data entry required.
Short-Time Work Features
Dedicated short-time work features — including automated reporting to the relevant employment authorities.
Warning on Rule Violation
Automatic alerts for violations of legal, collective bargaining, or individual contractual regulations.
Plan via Email
Weekly schedules, timesheets, and vacation plans are automatically sent to employees by email.
Iris Dannholz – Head of HR – Rudnick
"All reporting related to short-time work compensation and sick hours had to be submitted to the Federal Employment Agency. With the SEAK solution, we were able to identify and correct errors effortlessly. The authorities reviewed our submissions with meticulous scrutiny. Not a single discrepancy was found. We could not have achieved this without SEAK."
The Result: What Has Changed Since Then
Dramatic Workload Reduction, Tamper-Proof Data – and Legal Compliance Even During a Pandemic
Operational Relief
Legal Compliance
Controls
Customer Perception
Iris Dannholz – Head of HR – Rudnick
"I have so much more time for other tasks. On top of that, disputes over actual hours worked are a thing of the past — the system provides fast, easy-to-understand documentation."
Which modules are in use at Rudnick
Iris Dannholz – Head of HR – Rudnick
"Hotline and support: I'm completely satisfied. Reliability, punctuality, and expertise: No complaints whatsoever."
Let's talk about whether SEAK is the right fit for your business
In a 30-minute introductory call, we'll assess where your business stands today, identify which modules are the right priority for your situation, and outline a realistic implementation roadmap.
Alternatively, you're welcome to reach out via our contact form — we'll get back to you promptly. Or give us a call at: +49 40 238 348 – 000
The Trade Trusts SEAK
From fashion and food retail to building materials and specialist trade: retailers across Germany rely on SEAK to manage their workforce.
Family-owned business based in Aurich – since 1953
Rudnick is a family-owned business founded in 1953, headquartered in Aurich in the East Frisian region of Germany. The company operates three retail stores — a fashion house, a baby goods store, and a furniture and kitchen showroom — and employs 125 people. To actively combat the skilled labor shortage facing the retail sector, Rudnick offers its employees a four-day workweek alongside highly flexible, individually tailored working arrangements.
The four-day workweek gives each employee two weekdays off — one fixed day and one variable day that rotates based on sick leave and vacation schedules. While this flexibility is a significant benefit for employees, it places considerable administrative demands on the HR department. Since 2018, Rudnick has met that challenge by managing the entire process digitally with SEAK.