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Companies of all sizes use time and attendance processes to gather information about the amount of time employees spend on the job.
The most common tracking is the capture of an accurate time each employee reports to work and the actual hours
they spend on the job. Other companies track detailed information on each work task or job that is performed during the day.
Time tracking devices were invented many years ago to help ease the burden of manually recording time and attendance data on paper.
IBM was originally called International Time Recorder, located in Endicott, NY. Antique pendulum based wall clocks can be found in
today's market that were adapted to manually record data to paper based cards.
Small companies still utilize time clock systems because they are economical and easy to use. Just plug the clock into the wall,
set the time and start recording work hours. No special computer skills are required to utilize the equipment. Several leading
American manufacturers still produce these clocks which are sold in the office products retail market.
Automated
Time & Attendance Systems provide an alternative to mechanical time clock systems or paper-based timesheets.
The time punch clock, or paper timesheet, is replaced with an electronic badge reader or biometrics. The employee swipes an ID
badge through the reader or places a finger on a fingerprint scanner, at the beginning and end of the work period. The badge
or fingerprint reader data is copied regularly to a PC running a Time Attendance Software application that will automatically
create timesheets for each employee.
Other alternatives for tracking time and attendance are biometric time clocks,
web-based computer login stations, touch screens, Interactive voice response (IVR) - telephony, and portable devices such as
barcode scanners.
Time & Attendance Software allows companies to track and evaluate the performance and work activities of employees using
a single software application. Time & Attendance Software enables employers to store, track and organise the most important
employee time related information in one place. Everything needed to track and monitor employee activities and management
processes is available on a computer. This can also be invaluable for ensuring regulatory compliance with working regulations
and proof of attendance.
Companies with large number of employees usually need to install several Time & Attendance machines. In this case,
networking becomes important. RS-485 and RS-422 network protocol is commonly applied for Time & Attendance networking.
Some systems use more robust and friendly networking technology such as Ethernet and WiFi.
Prices vary depending on needs,
with a small business system costing a few hundred dollars/pounds and larger systems supporting many complex functions costing
several thousands of dollars/pounds. A Time & Attendance System will protect a company from potential payroll fraud, provide
electronic data and will give employees confidence in the accuracy of salary payments.
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