Mystery solved: limited fingerprint clocking as a method of time control
To leave or not to leave a footprint, that is the question.
But which footprint, the carbon footprint? Not really! We are referring to a much more tangible footprint, which until recently was used as a time and attendance system in companies: the fingerprint.
Fingerprint clocking was one of the options available to company directors until Order SND/386/2020 came along to trip them up. If this was your case, you've come to the right place: we tell you what other options you have in terms of clocking-in systems to comply with the mandatory recording of working time, avoid heavy penalties and overcome this stumbling block.
Keep your company running so that your business can continue to make its mark 👣 !
Time and attendance in companies
What does the law say about clocking in employees?
In Spain, the control of working time recording is compulsory. This is established by Royal Decree-Law 8/2019 of 8 March on urgent measures for social protection and the fight against precariousness in the working day.
As it is said, regardless of the type and size of the companies, they must ensure a time control that guarantees:
- The establishment of the starting and finishing time of their workers,
- the traceability of the register for at least four years.
What registration system should be implemented?
So far, so clear. The crux of the matter comes when, as a matter of public health and safety, the order SND/386/2020 is published and companies find that time registration using fingerprint clocking machines must be replaced with another type of system:
Fingerprint clocking shall be replaced by any other timekeeping system which ensures appropriate hygienic measures for the protection of the health and safety of workers, or the clocking device shall be disinfected before and after each use, and workers shall be warned of this measure.
Bad news for companies that had already invested significant sums in the acquisition, installation and maintenance of these systems. Because while these were no longer an alternative, not keeping time and attendance records was no longer an option.
Employee clocking-in system: what other options are there?
But it's not all a matter of stumbling blocks. Especially if we consider that, in any case, companies had to adapt their time and attendance controls to new working methods such as remote working.
Since Royal Decree Law 8/2019, it was established that it was at the discretion of companies to choose the method that best suited them to ensure the clocking-in of their workers. With the fingerprint clocking system having to guarantee its correct disinfection before and after each use, it is almost out of the picture due to its lack of practicality. So let's see what other options are available to you:
1. Manual registration
Believe it or not, there are still companies (especially smaller ones) that still rely on the practicality of the good old reliable Excel spreadsheet. In reality, if Excel has limitations, it is partly because the user is human. And to err, by definition we know, so is 💁🏽 .
And since our aim is not to judge, but rather to make your life easier, we offer you a template for controlling your work activity:
2. Telephone registration
This method is commonly implemented in Temporary Employment Agencies (TWAs), as workers are constantly on the move and have no other alternatives available to them.
It consists of time recording through telephone calls, at the beginning and end of the working day. Additional internet access will then be necessary to consult and monitor compliance data.
3. Email logging
As with a landline telephone, e-mail serves as a means for each worker to record his or her working day. The person in charge of the timekeeping process in the company sets a time for the system to automatically send an e-mail. At each entry and exit, the worker presses a button that records his or her time.
This method requires vigilance with regard to the veracity of the information that is recorded.
4. Facial recognition
Unlike other biometric time and attendance systems, facial recognition is a service that complies with preventive measures in terms of hygiene and surface contact.
It works by allowing each worker's face to be identified in the system and thereafter the worker can clock in with it. The advantage it offers is that it can be done from any electronic device: computer, mobile phone or tablet.
When has your face ever done so much for you?
5. Time and attendance software
Timekeeping software and its mobile versions (timekeeping applications) generally consist of operating systems that can be accessed from the web, as they are hosted in the cloud. Their advantage lies in the simplicity of their operation. One click and the recording is done.
Time calculations are automated and constantly updated. On top of that, such systems ensure compliance with legal provisions.
6. Contactless cards
Another possible solution for time tracking is contactless cards. This type of card is assigned to each worker, who can then record his or her time without having to touch a physical device. Today, the mobile phone works like a card.
It is an easy alternative to implement, especially in small and medium-sized companies. Its only drawback is perhaps having to implement additional control over the cards and verify the veracity of the information or that there is no transfer of cards between workers.
7. QR codes
Just as it is becoming more and more common to go to a restaurant and have to scan a code to access the menu, so too each worker gets a unique code with which to clock in and out of work.
The code can be saved on a laptop, mobile or tablet and scanned via an app or device.
In a nutshell...
If you have anything to take away from this article, let it be the following:
- The recording of working time is compulsory in Spain.
- This obligation also applies to companies with telecommuters or teleworkers.
- The method of monitoring is at the discretion of each employer.
- In the wake of the health crisis, however, Order SND/386/2020 did not prohibit fingerprint clocking systems, although it did limit them 👉🏽. Their use must guarantee all health and hygiene measures, even if this means cleaning them every time they are used.
- Fortunately, there are other time and attendance mechanisms that companies can implement.
Let the fingerprint serve nobler purposes. Surely there are more intriguing mysteries to solve than one of your workers not clocking in 🕵🏻♂️ .
Do you have questions? Leave them in the comments!
Article translated from Spanish