What is a time and attendance system?
A time and attendance system records when each employee arrives and leaves and works out the time actually worked. It replaces the attendance sheet and the Excel file retyped at the end of the month.
It has three building blocks: capture (time clock or phone), the software that files punches under the right day, and the rules that turn a punch into a late arrival, overtime or nothing.
Block one: how do employees clock in?
The capture method depends on the workplace, and most companies combine several:
- Time clock at the entrance: facial recognition, fingerprint or badge; a weatherproof model for an outdoor time clock.
- Phone: the time and attendance app records the GPS position, checks the site perimeter and can ask for a selfie.
TEMPO works with ZKTeco and Hikvision terminals: see the compatibility list.
Block two: what does time and attendance software do?
The software turns a series of times into readable working days: it links each punch to the right shift (even at night), calculates hours worked, late arrivals and overtime, and flags anomalies to fix.
The results feed reports, the dashboard and payroll preparation. Every figure keeps its calculation trail.
Block three: which calculation rules should you set?
The rules translate your organization and the Labour Code into minutes. TEMPO ships with defaults you change without any development:
- Schedules: fixed hours, rotations, cycles, Ramadan hours. See staff scheduling.
- Grace period for late arrivals and early departures.
- Overtime: article 201 premiums by default (25% or 50% on a working day, 50% or 100% on a rest day), or time off in lieu. See overtime.
- Public holidays: credited or not, according to your policy.
How do you size a time and attendance system?
| Question | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| How many people clock in at the same time? | Allow 2 to 5 seconds per punch: beyond a 10-minute queue, add a terminal |
| How many staff entrances? | One terminal at each entrance actually used |
| How many employees per terminal? | Keep headroom for new hires and temporary staff |
| Who works off-site? | Phone clock-in with GPS and perimeter |
How many people clock in at the same time?
- Benchmark
- Allow 2 to 5 seconds per punch: beyond a 10-minute queue, add a terminal
How many staff entrances?
- Benchmark
- One terminal at each entrance actually used
How many employees per terminal?
- Benchmark
- Keep headroom for new hires and temporary staff
Who works off-site?
- Benchmark
- Phone clock-in with GPS and perimeter
Benchmarks for preparing a rollout. Exact capacities are on each time clock’s datasheet.
How do you roll out a time and attendance system in a company?
- 1
Set the rules
Decide hours, grace period and overtime with management and payroll.
- 2
Import employees
Import the list from Excel, with sites, departments and employee numbers.
- 3
Create schedules
Prepare standard weeks, cycles and rotations.
- 4
Connect the time clocks
Add each terminal to its site and enroll faces, fingerprints or badges.
- 5
Run a month in parallel
Compare with your current method, adjust, then switch payroll over.
The system’s building blocks, one by one
- Time clocks Biometric time clocks in Morocco: face, fingerprint or badge, compatible ZKTeco and Hikvision models, how to choose and how many you need.
- Time and attendance app Staff time and attendance app in Morocco: GPS clocking with site perimeter, selfie, offline mode, schedule, balances and notifications.
- Time management Time management software in Morocco: calculation modes, grace periods, normal hours and overtime, daily and period reports.
- Staff scheduling Staff scheduling software in Morocco: day and night shifts, cycles, rest days, Ramadan hours, schedule generator and Excel templates.
- Attendance anomalies Missed punches, late arrivals, early departures: how TEMPO detects them, gets them justified and keeps a trace of corrections.
- Multi-site attendance Centralize attendance across several sites, branches or companies in Morocco: time clocks linked online, managers per site, shared payroll.
Questions fréquentes
What is an employee time and attendance system?
It is the setup that records employees’ arrivals and departures and calculates time worked: time clocks or phones for capture, software that links punches to the schedule, and calculation rules. The time and attendance module of TEMPO, the HRIS for companies in Morocco, brings these three blocks together.
Which time and attendance system should an SME in Morocco choose?
Start from the workplaces: a time clock at each staff entrance for fixed sites, the phone for mobile staff or building sites. Choose online software that accepts both methods, handles several sites and applies the rules of the Moroccan Labour Code.
How many time clocks do you need for 200 employees?
It depends on the number of entrances and the arrival peak, not on total headcount. At 2 to 5 seconds per punch, 200 people arriving within the same ten minutes keep one terminal busy for 7 to 17 minutes. Beyond a ten-minute queue, plan a second terminal.
Can you mix time clocks and phone clock-in?
Yes. With TEMPO, punches from ZKTeco and Hikvision time clocks and from the app land in the same employee record and follow the same rules. A technician can clock in at head office in the morning and at a customer’s site in the afternoon: the day is calculated in one go.
Sources
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