Accurately tracking employee attendance is crucial for productivity and payroll in many companies. Unfortunately, in an attempt to cut corners, some employees resort to manipulating attendance records to reflect hours they didn’t work, also known as time tampering.
Fareclock understands that learning to prevent time tampering is essential for maintaining an honest and efficient workforce.
What is time tampering?
Time tampering occurs when an employee purposely alters their recorded time to make it appear as though they worked more hours. This involves clocking in late and recording an earlier time, clocking out early but registering at a later time, or having colleagues punch in or out on their behalf. The motivations behind these actions vary from wanting to leave work early without losing pay to simply not feeling like coming in for a shift.
A notable case of employee time theft occurred when a US Postal Service worker in Washington, DC, fraudulently claimed $31,000 in wages for 144 days of supposed jury duty. The investigation later uncovered that the employee had been released from jury duty much earlier but forged court documents to continue receiving pay.
Persistent incidents of time tampering can result in fraudulent overtime pay or inflated work hours, costing your company thousands of dollars. Not to mention, it disrupts accurate payroll calculations, causing administrative headaches for HR departments.
Time tampering techniques and technologies you should know
Fortunately, there are techniques and technologies used by attendance systems to help companies detect and prevent time tampering.
GPS and geofencing technology
One of the most effective methods for preventing time tampering is the use of GPS and geofencing technology. GPS monitors an employee’s physical location along with timestamps of when they clock in and out. Meanwhile, geofencing restricts clock-ins and clock-outs to specific virtual boundaries around the workplace, ensuring that employees can only record their time when they are within these designated zones. Any attempt to manipulate the clock from outside the geofence can trigger an alert, flagging the entry as suspicious.
For instance, consider a delivery company where drivers are required to clock in using a mobile attendance app before starting their routes. With GPS and geofencing technology in place, the system verifies that each driver is within the company’s designated lot before allowing them to clock in. If a driver attempts to clock in from home or another unauthorized location, the app will deny the clock-in attempt and notify the manager.
Biometric authentication
Fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, and even iris scanning are forms of biometric authentication and are largely considered robust methods for preventing time tampering. When an employee places their finger on a biometric scanner, the system cross-references the fingerprint with stored data. If there’s a match, the clock log is recorded.
Unlike passwords or PINs, biometric data is uniquely tied to an individual, so it’s difficult to falsify or manipulate it. Attendance systems that require biometric verification ensure that the person clocking in and out is an authorized employee. This effectively eliminates the risk of “buddy punching,” a practice where one employee clocks in or out on behalf of another.
Automated time synchronization
Employees can manipulate internal clocks by manually changing the time settings on a device, such as a computer or a mobile phone, to falsely log earlier or later work hours. To prevent such manipulation, modern attendance systems are equipped with automated time synchronization features. These systems regularly sync with an external, authoritative time source, such as a network time protocol server, to ensure that the device’s clock is always accurate.
Tamper-resistant hardware
Some attendance systems come with tamper-resistant hardware designed to prevent physical tampering. These devices often include sealed enclosures, tamper-evident seals, and secure processors that protect the integrity of the system’s data. If an employee attempts to physically alter or bypass the device, the system automatically locks down, preventing further entries and alerting administrators to the potential security breach.
Audit trails and reporting
Audit trails log every change within the system, such as clock-ins, clock-outs, and time adjustments. With detailed logs of all activities, the system can quickly identify any anomalies or patterns that suggest tampering. Administrators can then review these records to ensure compliance with company policies and to take corrective action when necessary.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
AI and ML are increasingly integrated into attendance systems to enhance their ability to detect time tampering. These technologies analyze patterns in employee behavior, such as clock-in and clock-out times, and can identify deviations from normal patterns that may indicate tampering.
For example, if an employee consistently clocks in at an unusually precise time, the system may flag this as suspicious behavior. Some of these mechanisms may not be 100% accurate, but AI and ML algorithms become more accurate in detecting time tampering over time.
A tamper-proof solution for accurate time tracking
As workplaces continue to evolve, so should the technologies designed to protect their integrity. Fareclock’s worker time management software goes beyond traditional solutions with built-in anti-time tampering capabilities. Using geo-mapping, GPS verification, and audit trails, Fareclock ensures that time entries are accurate and reliable. This prevents time data manipulation and enables businesses to maintain a fair and transparent work environment.
Fareclock’s solutions are designed to help businesses of all sizes maintain accurate records and improve overall efficiency. Sign up for a FREE trial today and see how our software can benefit your organization.
