What Is Buddy Punching? and How to Avoid It

We’ve all been late for work once or twice. However, sometimes people try to cheat the system.

“Hey, Mark. Running a few behind. Mind punching in my numbers for me?”

Or even…

“I’m gonna be out sick today, but I can’t miss a day of pay. Can you please clock in for me?”

This is a situation we’ve heard about thousands of times from districts of all sizes - and while this may seem innocent at first, it’s an absolute nightmare for HR and payroll to deal with. 

They now have to play detective - steadily building distrust within the workforce and creating a “big brother” like atmosphere.

There is also the complete inaccuracy of timesheets overall.

What’s the point of time tracking if your employees can just pencil in anything they please?

This is a problem that creates unnecessary headaches for many and must come to an end!

Here are a few handy ways that you can end buddy punching for good!

Proximity Cards

One of the simplest ways to get up and running with a buddy-punch-proof system is to invest in proximity cards. 

These little guys not only force your staff to keep a physical card with them, they’re also contactless - meaning you’ll be creating a safe environment as well. 

Now that’s killing two birds with one stone!

Barcode Scanning

Similar to proximity cards with a physical aspect required, barcode scanning is one of the most efficient ways of creating a punch-proof system (you can even print out barcodes right from the office!)

Also touchless, barcode scanners come in a few different configurations like single-line and omnidirectional. 

Of course, if you’re looking for something that just does it all for you, take a peek at our new timeclocks!

Biometrics

Biometric scanning is hands-down the most secure method of preventing buddy punching. 

With other physical clocking methods, it’s still possible for employees to pass each other's badges around if they truly want to be deceptive. 

But with biometric technology, they HAVE to be present (unless your staff has figured out a way to reattach fingers. We haven’t solved that quite yet.)

At the End of the Day…

If buddy punching has infested your district, then it’s time to do something about it. 

Get rid of buddy punching and make life easy on HR and payroll, create a trusting environment within your workforce, and invest in contactless scanning methods to keep your staff safe and their paychecks accurate!