Employee time clocks are time systems used by organizations to accurately record the number of hours worked by each employee every week. The clocks have evolved with time and the companies still need some sort of system that they can use to generate payroll and ensure that the employees are paid for each hour they worked. Today, employees use swipe cards with a magnetic stripe through a slot that reads their name and records the time every time they clock in or out, much like the old punch clock system of long ago.

At the end of a work week, the main computer computes the total hours worked for every employee and prints it out on a spread sheet. This rids the payroll system of human error, making it much more efficient. The employee time clock has been linked to a factory’s employee productivity. It is commonly placed near the main entrance or break room. An employee who is not paid for break time must clock out for a break and must also remember to clock in before resuming work after the break.

Sometimes, it is found that employees try to use the time clock to gain an advantage. For instance, employees may clock in or out for each other. This is why company rules and time clock technology keep changing in order to keep employee misdeeds in check. Company policy forbids employees from “punching” or “swiping” for each other and both employees stand a chance of losing their jobs if caught. Again, with the advent of new technology, like clocking in and out using nothing but fingerprints, such employee behavior is now a thing of the past.

The manual time clock system, though time saving and error-free, is not entirely perfect. Sometimes, the magnetic strip on the back of a card may get damaged. When the employee swipes the card, the machine may not register it. Such inadequacies are corrected in the computer time clock system. Even with the advent of computer software and advanced time keeping techniques, the principal of the employee time clock remains the same. Hourly employees will always need a way to keep track of their time and organizations will need logical ways to monitor and record an employee’s time to ensure productivity.

Employee time clocks are available in all various forms such as biometric time clocks, punch time clocks, computer based time clocks, etc. Today, there is wide array of employee time clock systems on the market, from yesterday’s free standing polling, memory based clocks to today’s advanced PC based time keeping solutions, from standard mechanical clocks to electronic time clock systems. This is why choosing a system that suits your needs is a daunting task.

Small employee time clock systems can cost you anything from to $5 to $50. And for bigger and more advanced time clock systems, you will have to pay in the range of $250 to $550.

By: John Furnem -

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John Furnem is a dot com veteran, specializing in personality psychology he has written articles and held seminars for stress management & Work Life Balance. John currently writes articles on Punch Clock System for a content site.