Attendance clocks monitor employee comings and goings, record hours worked, and improve workplace safety. They were introduced in the late 19th century and have become commonplace in modern workplaces, with some using electronic or biometric systems. The clocks simplify payroll and can be used for security purposes. Some workplaces use software to monitor individual employee activities.
An attendance clock is used to monitor and regulate the comings and goings of employees in a workplace. These devices range from simple machines that print information on cards to sophisticated computer systems that collect biometric data from employees. The use of a time clock provides a way for management to automatically record the number of hours worked by individual employees and to monitor workers’ punctuality. Sophisticated modern systems also offer increased workplace safety.
The later stages of the Industrial Revolution were defined in part by an increased emphasis on the efficient and organized use of time. The first models of attendance clocks were introduced in the last years of the 19th century. These devices were initially used mainly in large factories and served as a tool to ensure the timeliness of workers. The introduction of an attendance clock in a workplace has been a mixed blessing for workers, as these devices have made it harder for employers to underestimate hours worked, but it has made it easier for employers to enforce stiff penalties for lateness.
Most modern medium to large workplaces employ some sort of presence clock. In some cases, employees physically log on using a clock to punch an attendance card and then log off at the end of their shifts. In other cases, attendance information is collected electronically and employees can log in and out using keycards or biometric scanners.
Information gleaned from an attendance clock is used by employers to monitor employee punctuality. Time clocks also serve to simplify the work of payroll departments. Some modern clock software can interface directly with payroll software, but even older clocks have made the recording and dispersal of payroll significantly easier by centralizing and standardizing time and attendance information.
In some modern workplaces, the door attendance clock has been replaced with software that tracks the activities of individual employees. Call center workers, for example, can be monitored by software integrated into individual workstations. This type of distributed time and attendance software allows employers to more accurately track individual employee activities and allows you to track employee time usage throughout a workday.
Some workplaces use hours of presence as a form of security. Advanced software systems can use keycards or biometric scanners to grant or restrict access to certain parts of a facility. These systems offer security for sensitive areas but can also be used to monitor the comings and goings of employees. More sophisticated systems maintain detailed, timed records of employee movements in a particular facility over the course of a business day.
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