Time Keeping, Time Booking

Time Keeping refers to the process of recording the attendance of employees, including their entry, exit, and break times. It ensures that wages and salaries are paid correctly based on the number of hours worked. The primary objective of time keeping is to prevent time theft, absenteeism, and payroll discrepancies while maintaining discipline in the workforce.

Objectives of Time Keeping:

• Ensuring punctuality and discipline among workers.

• Providing accurate data for wage calculations.

• Preventing unauthorized absenteeism and overstay.

• Reducing idle time and improving efficiency.

• Ensuring compliance with labour laws and policies.

Methods of Time Keeping:

Different mechanical and digital systems are used for time recording:

1. Manual Methods:

   • Attendance Registers: Employees sign in upon arrival.

   • Time Cards: Workers punch in/out using physical cards.

2. Mechanical Methods:

   • Punch Card Machines: Employees insert cards to mark attendance.

   • Biometric Systems: Uses fingerprint or facial recognition.

   • Swipe Card Systems: Uses magnetic or RFID cards for entry.

3. Digital Methods:

   • Automated Software: Tracks attendance through cloud-based systems.

   • Mobile Apps: Used for remote and flexible work tracking.

Importance of Time Keeping:

• Accurate payroll calculation and reduced disputes.

• Helps in analyzing productivity trends.

• Prevents unauthorized absenteeism and enhances efficiency.

• Facilitates proper job costing and labour allocation.

Time keeping is crucial for smooth business operations, ensuring that labour is utilized effectively while minimizing cost inefficiencies.

Time Booking

Time booking refers to recording the time spent by workers on specific jobs or tasks. Unlike time keeping, which focuses on overall attendance, time booking is used to analyze work efficiency, job costing, and productivity tracking.

Objectives of Time Booking:

• Identifying the actual time spent on each job or task.

• Ensuring accurate job costing by allocating labour costs correctly.

• Monitoring worker efficiency and identifying productivity gaps.

• Preventing idle time and resource wastage.

• Helping in estimating future job costs and pricing.

Methods of Time Booking:

Several methods are used to track job-wise labour time:

1. Job Cards: Workers record time spent on different tasks manually.

2. Daily Time Sheets: Supervisors maintain logs for each worker’s assignments.

3. Clock Cards: Similar to punch cards but include job-specific details.

4. Barcode or RFID Tracking: Workers scan job codes for automatic time logging.

5. Digital Time Sheets: Employees enter time logs into computer systems.

Importance of Time Booking:

• Helps in accurate labour cost allocation for different jobs.

• Identifies bottlenecks and inefficiencies in production.

• Ensures fair worker compensation based on effort and output.

• Facilitates better planning and scheduling of future jobs.