# Time Keeping: Objectives, Requisites and Methods

## Definition

Time Keeping = Correct recording of employees' arrival and departure time (attendance time).

> Distinct from Time Booking = recording time spent on specific jobs/operations during the workday.

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## Objectives of Time Keeping

1. Calculate wages for time-rated employees

2. Calculate overtime premium

3. Control labour cost

4. Calculate idle time

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## Requisites of a Good Time Keeping System

1. No proxy recording (one worker cannot clock in for another)

2. Provision for recording time of piece-workers too (not just time-rated workers)

3. Record arrival and departure; support wage calculation

4. Mechanical recording preferred → avoids disputes between workers and time-keeper

5. Late arrivals must be recorded exactly (no relaxation)

6. Sufficient clocks installed so workers don't queue

7. Frequent surprise inspections at factory gate by a responsible person

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## Methods of Time Keeping

### Manual Methods

#### 1. Attendance Register Method

Time keeper records each employee's arrival/departure manually
Suitable: small workforce only
Risk: time keeper may record incorrect times (dishonest practice)

#### 2. Metal Disc (Token) Method

Each worker has a numbered token hung on a board at the gate
On arrival → worker drops token in a box at the gate
After cut-off time → box removed; late-comers hand token personally to time-keeper
Disadvantages:
Worker can remove a colleague's token → proxy attendance fraud
Disputes between time-keeper and late-comer
Risk of dummy workers being added by time-keeper

### Mechanical Methods

#### 3. Time Recording Clock (Time Printing Machine)

Each worker has a time card with their ID
Worker inserts card into the clock → exact time printed on the card
Repeated at: lunch out, lunch return, and departure
Advantages: No disputes (machine records, not time-keeper); eliminates partiality
Disadvantage: Worker can still insert a colleague's card (proxy risk not eliminated)

#### 4. Dial Time Recorder

Machine has a dial with numbered holes (~150) corresponding to worker IDs
Worker presses a radial arm at their hole → time auto-recorded on internal paper roll
Advantages: High accuracy; can auto-transcribe hours to wage sheets; can calculate wages
Disadvantage: More complex and costly equipment

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## Comparison Summary

Feature	Manual Methods	Mechanical Methods
Accuracy	Lower (human error)	Higher
Disputes	Possible	Reduced
Proxy risk	High	Reduced (not eliminated)
Cost	Low	Higher
Wage calculation	Manual	Can be automated (Dial recorder)

Worked example

### Example 1

Proxy Attendance Scenario:

Factory uses the Metal Disc method. Worker A removes Worker B's token when B is absent, dropping it in the box to falsely mark B present.

With a Time Recording Clock, Worker A would need to physically insert B's time card into the machine. Risk is reduced but not zero — a dishonest worker could still carry a colleague's card.

The Dial Time Recorder further reduces this risk since the worker must physically press the radial arm at their specific hole number, making proxy attendance harder to execute undetected.

### Example 2

Selecting the Right Method:

Small factory, 30 workers → Attendance Register (simple, low cost)
Medium factory, 150 workers → Time Recording Clock (accurate, no disputes)
Large factory, 500+ workers needing automatic wage computation → Dial Time Recorder (accurate, automated payroll linkage)

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

Claiming mechanical methods completely eliminate proxy attendance — they reduce the risk but a worker can still insert a colleague's card
Confusing time-keeping (arrival/departure recording) with time-booking (time spent on each job) — these serve different purposes and use different documents
Assuming piece-rate workers don't need time records — they still need attendance records for overtime and idle time calculations
Treating the Metal Disc method as mechanical — it is a manual method despite using physical tokens

Reference:

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Time Keeping — Objectives, Requisites and Methods

Worked example

⚠️ Common exam mistakes