Attendance management

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Attendance management is a process of monitoring attendance of employees in the company. It can collect information on time of attendance and leaving work, any breaks during the work, leaves, etc. This system is useful for the Human Resources department because the payroll is calculated more quickly. The presence of employees can be checked using various methods.[1][2]

Attendance management solutions

The most common attendance management solutions are[3][4][5][6]:

  • Timesheets
  • Time clocks with cards
  • Time tracking software
  • RFID
  • Magnetic or chip cards
  • AFAS (biometric)

Timesheets

Employees put a signature when they come to work (and in some companies also when they leave work). This is a traditional method in which we use logs or presence sheets. The disadvantage of this method is that the presence log can be destroyed or stolen. Determining presence with this method is time-consuming. [7]

Time clocks with cards

Employees put their card into clock machine, which prints time and date on the card. First, these cards were made of paper, but they were not durable so after a while, these cards were made of stronger materials. The disadvantage of this method is that another employee can use this card for us. For greater security, companies may additionally use timesheets in this method.[8]

Time tracking software

The computer system tracks time of login and logout, as well as activity during work hours. In this method, each employee has their own password to log in to the system. The employer often knows when an employee uses a computer. The disadvantage of this method is that someone can impersonate someone or someone can forget the password.[9]

RFID

Radio Frequency Identificationis an automatic identification technology which doesn't use physical contact to store or retrieve data on RFID Tags. Sumita Nainan, Romin Parekh and Tanvi Shah think that this system consists mainly of:

  • Antenna transmits information via radio waves between the tag and the reader.
  • RFID Reader is a device decoding raw data that is on the tag using different frequencies, when tags are nearby. Reader uses an antenna to this. Then this data is processed by the Middleware.
  • RFID Tags are elements that can be attached to any merchandise or device. The product is identified by tags which use a special string of characters. Tags consist of the antenna and the chip.
  • Backend database is a database that stores compelling information saved by the RFID Reader and transmitted by the Middleware.
  • Middleware is an interface that manages the transmission of information from the reader. It obtains compelling information from the reader, process and interpret data and control the amount of tags that are in the system. Next, the Middleware transmits data to the Backend Database management system.

The identification sequence identifies the RFID tags generally and clearly and the procedures of the EPC Gloabl Tag Data Standard regulate this sequence. The RFID reader can passively activate tags. However, tags may transmit actively RF signals to this reader. The RFID reader reads the data that are stored on these tags by its antenna when it is nearby. The RFID system may be used in many situations for example: checking the presence of employees, tracking goods or vehicles, managing inventory in warehouses.[10] The disadvantage of RFID is that if the RFID tag is close to electrical devices, reading this tag is much slower.[11]

Magnetic or chip cards

Employees have to put card into a reader or just walk near a reade. In this method, the card is used which is read by a reader connected to a computer system. Checking the presence is more difficult if someone forgets or breaks the card so companies have often presence sheet at the entrance, which are for guests. However, when an employee forgets this card can sign up to this sheet and such employee must inform HR department of this. The disadvantage is that someone can steal the card.[12]

AFAS

Automated Fingerprint Attendance System - in this method employees put their finger (fingerprints) or look into (retina) biometrics reader. This is very specialized system which compares the fingerprint read with the fingerprints which are in the database. This system informs you whether the fingerprint of some person is correct or not and checks the authenticity of this person.[13] The advantage of this method is that we do not need staff and presence logs.

These methods are used in enterprises depending on their size and financial capacities.[14]

Advantages of Attendance management

Attendance management helps to track the arrival and departure times of employees, as well as any breaks taken during the day. It is a great tool for Human Resources departments, as it helps to save time and resources in payroll calculations. The following are some of the advantages of attendance management:

  • It helps to keep accurate records of employees' attendance, which can be quickly retrieved when needed. This helps to monitor the performance of employees and set performance goals.
  • It provides the flexibility to set rules and regulations for attendance, thus making it easier for the HR department to manage attendance.
  • It helps to maintain the required attendance records, which can be used for legal purposes in case of any dispute or litigation.
  • It also helps to identify trends in attendance and identify any underlying problems. This helps to take preventive measures to improve the attendance of employees.
  • It helps to reduce paperwork and automate the process of tracking attendance. This makes it easier and faster to generate reports and manage attendance data.

Limitations of Attendance management

Attendance management is a powerful tool for managing employees' attendance. However, there are certain limitations to its effectiveness. These include:

  • The system is prone to errors, as manual entry of data can result in inaccurate results.
  • The system can be time-consuming, as it requires input of data from all employees.
  • The system is costly, as it requires investment in hardware and software.
  • It is difficult to implement the system in a large organization with multiple locations.
  • Attendance management may not be suitable for companies with a high turnover rate.
  • The system cannot always ensure accurate tracking of attendance, as some employees may still be able to manipulate the system.

Other approaches related to Attendance management

Attendance management has several other approaches that can be used to monitor the presence of employees:

  • Biometric-based attendance systems, which use biometric information such as fingerprints and facial recognition to identify employees and record their attendance.
  • Access control systems, which use physical access cards and passwords to allow employees to enter and exit the workplace.
  • Manual attendance systems, which rely on paper-based sign-in sheets and require employees to sign in and out.
  • Automated attendance systems, which use time clocks and computer software to track employee attendance.

These approaches are all useful for tracking employee attendance and can be used in combination with one another to create a comprehensive attendance management system. By using these approaches, employers can accurately track employees' attendance and ensure that payroll is calculated correctly.


Attendance management — recommended articles
Knowledge tree — Call accounting — Andon — Barcode — Radio frequency identification (RFID) — Positive pay — Integrated management system — Types of validation — Business logic

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Shoewu O., Idowu O.A. (2012)
  2. ↑ Kadry S., Smaili M. (2010)
  3. ↑ Shoewu O., Idowu O.A. (2012)
  4. ↑ Kadry S., Smaili M. (2010)
  5. ↑ Nainan S., Parekh R., Shah T.(2013)
  6. ↑ Arulogun O. T. et al., (2013)
  7. ↑ Shoewu O., Idowu O.A. (2012)
  8. ↑ Kadry S., Smaili M. (2010)
  9. ↑ Shoewu O., Idowu O.A. (2012)
  10. ↑ Nainan S., Parekh R., Shah T.(2013)
  11. ↑ Arulogun O. T. et al., (2013)
  12. ↑ Shoewu O., Idowu O.A. (2012)
  13. ↑ Arulogun O. T. et al., (2013)
  14. ↑ Shoewu O., Idowu O.A. (2012)

Author: Joanna Zawiślan

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