As a result of the Working Time Directive and the increasing demand for flexible working, employers need to be able to keep track on their employees' hours of work. Whilst some Time and Attendance solutions providers market "high-end" biometric PC-based Time and Attendance solutions which enable linking of time and attendance information with HR and Payroll, smaller businesses (those with less than 50 people) don't need such expensive systems to comply with their obligations.



First of all, it is obvious that standard time recorders do not help security, but then "high-end" biometric time and attendance products are not the ideal solution either. Biometrics may stop "buddy-punching" but biometric readers only confirm when one particular person was at one certain location and then for only the length of time it takes for the identification or verification to take place ? a matter of a second or two at most ? it does not tell management what that employee did or where they went before or after that time. Additionally employees can also disrupt the day-to-day running of a biometric-based system by distorting how they place their hand or finger compared to the position it was in when they were enrolled onto the biometric reader, creating "missed clockings". Get several people doing this, particularly if they are "trusted" employees, and the whole integrity of the system can be thrown into serious doubt, with many man hours spent trying to solve the problem.

Furthermore, PC-based time and attendance systems, in themselves, cannot stop absenteeism. It is true that they make reporting absenteeism easier and patterns more visible, but those employees who "pull sickies" do not care whether they are using time sheets, time cards, swipe cards or have to place their hand in a biometric reader. Effective management is the only answer.

There are thousands of small companies using basic (and calculating) card-based time recorders, who should not be condemned out of hand as being "pockets of resistance" to "high-end" biometric Time and Attendance Solutions. It is horses for courses. What would be the actual benefit of a web-enabled, self-service, biometric , costing several thousand pounds to a small business employing eight hourly-paid people, especially when they outsource their actual payroll to their accountants?

Additionally, "fiendishly complicated shifts" can sometimes be the downfall of PC-based time and attendance systems. There are instances where systems are thrown out and replaced with traditional card-based time and attendance recorders because some of the more so-called advanced systems cannot cope with historical precedents ? and, as with all computer-based systems the maxims of Garbage In, Garbage Out and Keep It Simple, Stupid apply.

In summary, I think it would be fair to say that there are places in the marketplace for all types of time and attendance product ? basic time recorders, calculating card-based time recorders and time and attendance systems using other technologies ? swipe card, proximity and biometric. It is up to each organisation to find the product which suits its needs and requirements the best.