subject: Does Your Business Need Punch In/out Clocks? [print this page] Using punch in/out clocks is a means of ensuring that employees work their allotted hours. This means checking not only that staff are working enough hours, but also that they are not doing too many. This can be a system that works well, but there can also be disadvantages with it as well. Another thing you will want to consider is the type of punch in/out clocks you want to use. Computer technology has provided a lot more choice in this area.
When you first introduce punch in/out clocks it can cause a lot of resentment and resistance from staff members. It is important that you prepare well for this. Punch in/out clocks might also uncover a lot of problems that had gone unnoticed. You may discover that there is a lot of unpaid overtime occurring which you will need to pay for or stop completely. It would not be fair or legal to install a punch in/out clocks system and not pay for the hours that staff or clocking up. Depending on the reasons for all the overtime then you might be forced to either pay overtime or have training sessions on better time management. The one thing you should not do is allow the unpaid overtime to continue because it will lead to a lot of resentment and possibly legal hot water.
Another problem with the punch in/out clocks system is that people can struggle with using it; especially in the beginning. If this system is going to produce data for payroll then it can be a big headache when staff members frequently forget to punch in or out. There is also the possibility that staff members begin clocking in and out for their friends. There will need to be some type of policing of the system; unless you use one of the more advanced punch in/out clocks that uses fingerprints.
There are a lot of options when it comes to selecting your punch in/out clocks. The old-style clocks are very straight forward and just involve a cards and a clock mechanism on the wall. Employees push their card into the mechanism when they are coming on and off shift and the card is stamped with the time. There are also far more sophisticated punch in/out clocks that use modern technology. These work in a variety of ways including; keys, passwords, finger prints, swipe cards, and so on. The great advantage of this system is that it can be a lot more reliable, and it can also be connected directly to payroll.
When deciding on the correct punch in/out clocks for your company you will need to consider your needs and your budget. For some businesses it would just not make sense to have such a system; especially if you only have a few employees. If you have members of staff who work a lot off-site, then this can also waste a lot of time with them having to return to the office twice a day. In other businesses it will work really well by ensuring that staff members work their contracted hours.
by: Ryan Fyfe
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