We used to spend an hour a day on this. Now just 5 minutes.

More than 13,000 people at their events

Celje Youth Center is a public institution established by the Municipality of Celje. The center also includes a hostel and a café. It ranks among the three or four largest youth centers in Slovenia. The center and hostel employ 13 people full-time, with approximately 20 additional project-based collaborators. The café is staffed by students.

“Our main focus is on the youth center’s programs, organizing various workshops, concerts, and other events. We’re also strong in European projects, obtaining EU funding to help improve our local environment in Celje,” says Tadej Perčič, Director of Celje Youth Center.

In the wider Celje region, they also organize diverse cultural events, concerts, and performances — often unconventional in nature. They are currently involved in 15 different projects, both European and national. Last year alone, they were part of 481 events, attended by over 13,000 people.

The center is also active in tourism, with Celje being a compelling destination due to attractions like the Old Castle, the “City Beneath the City,” Roman ruins, and more. Their hostel offers 50 beds, aiming to retain tourists in Celje for longer stays.

The challenge: Big dissatisfaction with the previous system

Before adopting SPICA’s All Hours, the center used a different provider for time tracking.

“The previous solution generated a lot of frustration, both among employees and those who processed the time tracking data. The time tracking module was not user-friendly, and entering events like sick leave was difficult. Sometimes the system didn’t even work on mobile devices,” explains Perčič.

The poor user experience lasted for years, due to an unclear interface, poor support, and complications with adding new users. That’s when the Celje Youth Center decided it was time for a change.

“The SPICA team was a great help. Even after six months of use, the employees are still enthusiastic,” says Tadej Perčič.

The solution: Employees are now excited

Tadej Perčič discovered SPICA’s solution elsewhere. In December, they decided to try the 14-day free trial. In addition to being more cost-effective, the trial quickly revealed that SPICA’s solution solved all the issues they had previously faced.

“We now spend far less time managing time tracking, it works automatically. The system is simpler and easier to use. Employees love how intuitive it is. If they forget their card, it’s easy to edit or correct that event. It’s also easier for administrators to manage everything,” says Perčič.

“We’ve drastically reduced the time spent on payroll processing each month because the data is properly organized and ready for export. We used to do part of it manually. The transition was smooth, without any issues. And SPICA’s team provided strong support. Even after six months, employees are still thrilled with it.”, explains Perčič.

Most employees use cards to clock in/out. Two colleagues, who split their time between the youth center and the municipal offices, use their mobile phones.

SPICA’s solution: Logical and simple

SPICA's solution is being customized to automate everything as much as possible, based on the center’s needs. They’ve defined how to log different events, business trips, and explored all the features the system offers employees.

“The system is smart: if the first card scan is a check-in, the next one is automatically a check-out. The same logic applies to lunch breaks. If you scan to start your break, the next scan automatically marks your return — no need to press buttons. The sequence is logical and automatic,” explains Perčič.

Currently, they use the system for tracking work hours, breaks, business trips, vacation requests, and other types of leave. Employees have clear visibility into their vacation balances and can submit requests through the system. The annual vacation plan is also clearly structured.

The system tracks other absences like sick leave and allows efficient monthly data export to their payroll software. SPICA’s solution is fully compatible with Vasco, their accounting software.

“We now spend just 5 minutes a day managing time tracking data. Before, it was a full hour,” says Perčič.

He also highlights the solutions’ smart and simple configuration of shifts and schedules. It can automatically assign work types (morning, afternoon, weekend, holiday, night shifts) based on the internal schedule. Employees just clock in/out — the system does the rest.

Advantages

General advantages

• Onboarding: Greater trust due to the 14-day trial period.
• Savings: Previously, they spent one hour daily on data recording; now only 5 minutes a day.

Time and attendance management

• For employees: simple and logical use of the time tracking system.
• For administration: significantly reduced time needed to prepare payroll data.
• For IT: full compatibility of SPICA’s solution with the Vasco accounting software.
• For work organization: automatic detection of various shifts and types of work.