What is time and attendance in a company?
Time and attendance is the recording of an employee’s arrival and departure times, and often their breaks. It is used to calculate hours worked, lateness, absences and overtime, then to prepare payroll.
Employees clock in on a time clock (biometric or badge) or from a phone; people also say “badging”, and HR teams call it T&A.
Time clocks and clocking methods
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Time clock | Wall-mounted device that identifies the employee and records the time they pass. See time clocks. |
| Badge reader | Time clock that identifies a badge, not the person: simple, but a badge can be lent. See badge time clock. |
| Biometric time clock | Time clock that recognizes the face, fingerprint or palm, which stops anyone clocking in for a colleague. It processes data protected by law 09-08. |
| Facial recognition | Identification by the face, contactless, usually in under a second. See facial recognition time clock. |
| Fingerprint (template) | The time clock does not keep an image of the finger but a template, a series of values calculated from the fingerprint. |
| RFID badge | Card or key fob read contactlessly, in EM 125 kHz or Mifare 13.56 MHz. The badge must use the same technology as the reader. |
| Time clock ID (PIN) | Number that identifies the employee on the time clock and links their punches to their record. |
| 1:N identification | The time clock compares the person with every enrolled face or fingerprint, with no ID to type. In 1:1 verification, the person first types their ID. |
| Mobile clocking | Clocking in from the employee’s phone, checked by their location and, if needed, a selfie. See time and attendance app. |
| Clocking perimeter (geofencing) | Area around a site, defined by a position and a radius, outside which a mobile punch is flagged. |
| Manual punch | Punch entered by a manager, for example after a time clock failure, and recorded in the activity log. |
| Unassigned punch | Punch whose ID matches no employee, kept until it is assigned to the right employee. |
Time clock
- Definition
- Wall-mounted device that identifies the employee and records the time they pass. See time clocks.
Badge reader
- Definition
- Time clock that identifies a badge, not the person: simple, but a badge can be lent. See badge time clock.
Biometric time clock
- Definition
- Time clock that recognizes the face, fingerprint or palm, which stops anyone clocking in for a colleague. It processes data protected by law 09-08.
Facial recognition
- Definition
- Identification by the face, contactless, usually in under a second. See facial recognition time clock.
Fingerprint (template)
- Definition
- The time clock does not keep an image of the finger but a template, a series of values calculated from the fingerprint.
RFID badge
- Definition
- Card or key fob read contactlessly, in EM 125 kHz or Mifare 13.56 MHz. The badge must use the same technology as the reader.
Time clock ID (PIN)
- Definition
- Number that identifies the employee on the time clock and links their punches to their record.
1:N identification
- Definition
- The time clock compares the person with every enrolled face or fingerprint, with no ID to type. In 1:1 verification, the person first types their ID.
Mobile clocking
- Definition
- Clocking in from the employee’s phone, checked by their location and, if needed, a selfie. See time and attendance app.
Clocking perimeter (geofencing)
- Definition
- Area around a site, defined by a position and a radius, outside which a mobile punch is flagged.
Manual punch
- Definition
- Punch entered by a manager, for example after a time clock failure, and recorded in the activity log.
Unassigned punch
- Definition
- Punch whose ID matches no employee, kept until it is assigned to the right employee.
The hardware and the ways to clock in.
Working time and schedules
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| HRIS (HR information system) | Software that brings personnel management together, with T&A as one module. TEMPO is an HRIS for companies in Morocco. See HR software in Morocco. |
| T&A (time and activity management) | The tools and rules that turn punches into payable hours; in practice a synonym of time and attendance software. See time management. |
| Schedule | What each employee must do each day, a shift or a rest day, which the calculation compares with the punches. See staff scheduling. |
| Shift | Standard working hours, for example 08:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00, with or without a break. |
| Night shift | Shift that ends after midnight, such as 19:00 → 07:00, counted for the day it starts. |
| Flexible hours | A duration to work within a time window, with no fixed hours: for example 8 hours between 07:00 and 19:00. |
| Work cycle | A repeating sequence of days, for example 4 working days and 2 rest days. |
| Standard week | The hours of each weekday that apply when nothing else is scheduled. |
| Weekly rest day | Rest day of the week; work on it is paid at the weekly rest day rates. |
| Attendance policy | The set of calculation rules for a group of employees, such as tolerances and the overtime threshold and rates. |
| Lateness | Minutes between the scheduled arrival time and the first punch, beyond the tolerance. |
| Attendance anomaly | A day that does not match the schedule, such as a missing punch, an absence or lateness. See attendance anomalies. |
| Legal working time | 44 hours a week, or 2,288 hours a year (article 184 of the Labour Code). See the guide legal working time. |
| Overtime | Hours beyond the scheduled time, paid at +25% by day and +50% at night on a working day, +50% and +100% on a rest day (article 201). See overtime. |
| Night work | For overtime, night runs from 21:00 to 06:00 by default. See the guide night work. |
| Compensatory rest | Rest granted in return for working time, for example a rest day worked, under the Labour Code and your collective agreement. |
| Time off in lieu | Overtime converted into rest time instead of being paid. |
| Ramadan hours | Reduced working hours during the month of Ramadan. See the guide Ramadan and working hours. |
HRIS (HR information system)
- Definition
- Software that brings personnel management together, with T&A as one module. TEMPO is an HRIS for companies in Morocco. See HR software in Morocco.
T&A (time and activity management)
- Definition
- The tools and rules that turn punches into payable hours; in practice a synonym of time and attendance software. See time management.
Schedule
- Definition
- What each employee must do each day, a shift or a rest day, which the calculation compares with the punches. See staff scheduling.
Shift
- Definition
- Standard working hours, for example 08:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00, with or without a break.
Night shift
- Definition
- Shift that ends after midnight, such as 19:00 → 07:00, counted for the day it starts.
Flexible hours
- Definition
- A duration to work within a time window, with no fixed hours: for example 8 hours between 07:00 and 19:00.
Work cycle
- Definition
- A repeating sequence of days, for example 4 working days and 2 rest days.
Standard week
- Definition
- The hours of each weekday that apply when nothing else is scheduled.
Weekly rest day
- Definition
- Rest day of the week; work on it is paid at the weekly rest day rates.
Attendance policy
- Definition
- The set of calculation rules for a group of employees, such as tolerances and the overtime threshold and rates.
Lateness
- Definition
- Minutes between the scheduled arrival time and the first punch, beyond the tolerance.
Attendance anomaly
- Definition
- A day that does not match the schedule, such as a missing punch, an absence or lateness. See attendance anomalies.
Legal working time
- Definition
- 44 hours a week, or 2,288 hours a year (article 184 of the Labour Code). See the guide legal working time.
Overtime
- Definition
- Hours beyond the scheduled time, paid at +25% by day and +50% at night on a working day, +50% and +100% on a rest day (article 201). See overtime.
Night work
- Definition
- For overtime, night runs from 21:00 to 06:00 by default. See the guide night work.
Compensatory rest
- Definition
- Rest granted in return for working time, for example a rest day worked, under the Labour Code and your collective agreement.
Time off in lieu
- Definition
- Overtime converted into rest time instead of being paid.
Ramadan hours
- Definition
- Reduced working hours during the month of Ramadan. See the guide Ramadan and working hours.
The notions behind the hours calculation.
Leave, absences and payroll
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Paid annual leave | Paid rest days earned by working. See the guide annual leave in Morocco. |
| Authorized absence | Absence covered by an accepted reason (illness, family event…), sometimes counted as worked. |
| Exit slip | Permission to leave work for a few hours during the day. |
| Approval workflow | The sequence of people who approve a request, for example the manager then HR. |
| Pay period | The month for which hours are finalized; its closing freezes the figures. |
| Activity statement | The per-employee summary of a period (days, hours, overtime by rate, leave, absences, advances), the basis of payroll. See payroll preparation. |
| Integration report | File of the variable payroll items, in the format the payroll software expects. |
| Salary advance | Amount paid before payroll and deducted afterwards, in one or more instalments. |
| CNSS | National Social Security Fund, which manages social benefits for private-sector employees. |
| AMO | Compulsory health insurance, managed by the CNSS for private-sector employees. |
| IR | Income tax, withheld from salary each month by the employer according to a scale. |
| SMIG | Guaranteed minimum wage, set by decree. |
Paid annual leave
- Definition
- Paid rest days earned by working. See the guide annual leave in Morocco.
Authorized absence
- Definition
- Absence covered by an accepted reason (illness, family event…), sometimes counted as worked.
Exit slip
- Definition
- Permission to leave work for a few hours during the day.
Approval workflow
- Definition
- The sequence of people who approve a request, for example the manager then HR.
Pay period
- Definition
- The month for which hours are finalized; its closing freezes the figures.
Activity statement
- Definition
- The per-employee summary of a period (days, hours, overtime by rate, leave, absences, advances), the basis of payroll. See payroll preparation.
Integration report
- Definition
- File of the variable payroll items, in the format the payroll software expects.
Salary advance
- Definition
- Amount paid before payroll and deducted afterwards, in one or more instalments.
CNSS
- Definition
- National Social Security Fund, which manages social benefits for private-sector employees.
AMO
- Definition
- Compulsory health insurance, managed by the CNSS for private-sector employees.
IR
- Definition
- Income tax, withheld from salary each month by the employer according to a scale.
SMIG
- Definition
- Guaranteed minimum wage, set by decree.
From the absence request to payroll preparation.
Connecting time clocks
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ZKTeco SDK protocol | Protocol of classic ZKTeco time clocks, on port 4370, where the software reads the time clock. See connect a ZKTeco time clock. |
| Communication key (Comm Key) | Numeric code a ZKTeco time clock requires before it answers. |
| ADMS (PUSH) | Mode of recent ZKTeco time clocks that send their punches to a server themselves. |
| ISAPI | HTTP interface of Hikvision devices, used to enroll employees, set the time and read back events. |
| HTTP Listening | Setting of a Hikvision time clock that sends each event to a web address in real time. See connect a Hikvision time clock. |
| ISUP | Protocol through which Hikvision devices connect to the manufacturer’s platform. |
| Site VPN | Encrypted link between a site’s network and our servers, with no port open to the Internet. |
| Wiegand | Classic wired link between a badge reader and an access controller. |
| IP65 | Protection rating of a casing sealed against dust and water jets, the one to aim for outdoors. See outdoor time clock. |
| PoE | Power over the network cable: a single cable to run to the time clock. |
| CNDP and law 09-08 | Law 09-08 protects personal data and the CNDP enforces it, notably for biometrics. See the guide biometric clocking and the CNDP. |
ZKTeco SDK protocol
- Definition
- Protocol of classic ZKTeco time clocks, on port 4370, where the software reads the time clock. See connect a ZKTeco time clock.
Communication key (Comm Key)
- Definition
- Numeric code a ZKTeco time clock requires before it answers.
ADMS (PUSH)
- Definition
- Mode of recent ZKTeco time clocks that send their punches to a server themselves.
ISAPI
- Definition
- HTTP interface of Hikvision devices, used to enroll employees, set the time and read back events.
HTTP Listening
- Definition
- Setting of a Hikvision time clock that sends each event to a web address in real time. See connect a Hikvision time clock.
ISUP
- Definition
- Protocol through which Hikvision devices connect to the manufacturer’s platform.
Site VPN
- Definition
- Encrypted link between a site’s network and our servers, with no port open to the Internet.
Wiegand
- Definition
- Classic wired link between a badge reader and an access controller.
IP65
- Definition
- Protection rating of a casing sealed against dust and water jets, the one to aim for outdoors. See outdoor time clock.
PoE
- Definition
- Power over the network cable: a single cable to run to the time clock.
CNDP and law 09-08
- Definition
- Law 09-08 protects personal data and the CNDP enforces it, notably for biometrics. See the guide biometric clocking and the CNDP.
The technical terms you will meet when installing a time clock.
Questions fréquentes
What does T&A mean?
T&A stands for time and activity management: the set of rules and tools that turn punches into payable hours, with schedules, absences, leave and overtime. T&A software and time and attendance software mean the same tool in practice. TEMPO includes one, its time and attendance module.
What is the difference between time off in lieu and compensatory rest?
Time off in lieu converts overtime into rest time instead of paying it; in TEMPO, a policy can do this hour for hour. Compensatory rest is rest granted in return for working time, for example a rest day worked, under the conditions of the Labour Code and your collective agreement.
What is an activity statement?
It is the monthly per-employee summary used for payroll: days worked, normal hours, overtime by rate, leave, absences, public holidays and advances. In TEMPO, it updates as long as the pay period is open, then it is frozen at closing.
What is the difference between a badge reader and a time clock?
A badge reader reads a badge: it recognizes an object, which can be lent. A biometric time clock recognizes the person, by their face or fingerprint. The term time clock also covers, more broadly, any clocking device, badge readers included. TEMPO receives punches from both.
Sources
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