Time Clocks
Attendance Recording Systems
To call something a time clock might seem tautologous - all clocks measure time. Perhaps a better term might be "attendance recorder" or attendance system.
What Is A Time Clock?
At its simplest, a time clock is any device used for recording the hours people spend in a certain place. Usually this means keeping track of when employees arrive at and leave work.Earliest time clocks used a simple piece of card for each employee. This was inserted into a machine which would stamp the time onto the card. Hence the phrase "clocking" or "punching" in and out.
More modern systems usually incorporate a swipe card with an employee number. Very often these systems can be linked directly with software for time management, accounts or payroll.
Why Use a Time Clock?
For an employer, the time clock can be used to ensure that workers are doing their correct hours. Where people are on an hourly rate the time recording system is sometimes linked directly to payroll. Similarly, if a customer is being charged an hourly rate then this billing information can be obtained from the time system.Some software packages offer automatic linkage and many advanced reporting and management features. You can also buy systems designed for specific company sectors.
Such systems, if implemented correctly, can also benefit employees by ensuring that they are paid for the hours they work without disputes.
Implementation Issues
Time and attendance recording systems can be extremely useful. If they have the support of staff then they can protect both company and workers.Unfortunately they are sometimes imposed in an arbritary fashion that seems designed to increase the divide between "management" and "workers". It can be seen as a "big brother" system that dehumanises the workforce and shows a lack of trust. This can damage morale and company loyalty.
Ways to mitigate this problem include genuine consultation before implementation and ensuring that the system is used fairly - with senior management "clocking in" in exactly the same way as shop floor workers.
A poorly implemented system can result in problems for both employer and employee. If the system is too simple then fraud is a possibility. If the time clock results in a bottleneck then this could cause resentment amongst employees who either waste their own time queuing or risk being incorrectly marked as "late".
Advanced Technology
In the future it is possible we will see more frequent use of "contactless" RFID based time clocks or even biometric systems. These could record not only when employees arrive and leave but also their movements within the workplace. Such systems - if the technology works - would be simpler and more reliable. However they raise major privacy and civil rights issues. Who wants to be tagged and fingerprinted by their employer? Such a policy hardly signals "empowerment".