Time and attendance systems are very much in demand at any workplace employing more than a few hardy souls, and swipe card system options are a popular, lower-cost way to keep track of all of the people going in and out of a building or work space. A swipe card setup puts the employee in control and responsible for ID use at the appropriate times.

But what about learning how to use these sometimes complex systems? Business managers looking for help in administrating card swipe time clock systems have some options available from the web -- readers looking for support on these kinds of common HR tools can find:

1. Training and support from companies routinely dealing with aspects of employee swipe cards systems in HR.

2. Specialized help from consultants who help companies set up employee ID swipe cards structures and other systems.

3. More from public web pages on scenarios with time and attendance: swipe card systems.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find companies to train on employee swipe cards systems

Some of the companies that deal in this kind of hardware will work to help a business get knowledgeable about employee swipe cards systems. Look for specific solutions tailored to the size and scope of a business and its type of work area.

I recommend: Get training on card swipe systems for time and attendance as well as other offers like Sage Abra software at Crouch Slavin & Company: "Helping Businesses Achieve an Advantage Through Technology." For online support of an array of swipe card attendance system choices, try Time Force.

Find consultants for setting up employee swipe cards systems

Consulting shops can help a business outfit itself with a time and attendance system that includes swipe card software and systems. Ask about the benefits of a swipe card system for easy HR admin in a normal office environment and the best way to get photo IDs printed on-site.

I recommend: Get time and attendance training solutions from small business leaders like Athena Enterprises in Virginia. Find more over the web from online centers like HRTrainingCenter.com.

Find more on employee swipe cards from public web pages

The web also has a lot of public posting relevant to HR and swipe card payroll or ID systems: look for info on how others have used employee swipe cards to triumph over chaos in many different types of offices and work places.

I recommend: The Training Time blog identifies attendance issues and talks to business leaders about how to fix an "attendance gap" or other time and attendance issues. Get more news articles and info at HR World.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use time and attendance: swipe card education and training as just one of several options. As biometric models become more popular, you may find that soon the business will want to go with a different model for greater security, depending on the industry and scope of the business.

Implement the most efficient way of keeping reliable time and attendance: swipe cards. Magnetic swipe cards are simple cards programmed with an employee's information and run through a machine to track activities and time punches. These systems can prove extremely useful for your human resources department.

Employee swipe cards also are good for access control. You can install a gate at your front drive to monitor visitor activity but still allow access to your employees by providing a card reader for their ID badges. The badges also can be used to control access to certain rooms in your building to protect confidential documents or products.

Three ways to utilize employee swipe cards are:

1. Use a swipe card attendance system as an easy way to streamline payroll. Your employees swipe to punch in and swipe to punch out while the machine keeps track of hours worked.

2. Use a swipe card system for your employees' ID badges. If you operate a company with high security needs, give your workers a badge to swipe at the front gate or front door.

3. Install readers for employee swipe cards to control access to confidential areas of your building.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Track your employees' punches with a card swipe time clock

Adding up hours worked can be quite a hassle when you have to manually figure each employee's times. Using a swipe card system not only eliminates this task but prevents employees from clocking in early and milking the clock. Most of these systems have a programmable feature for disabling a swipe card from being used before a scheduled time.

I recommend: View myriad solutions for your time clock needs with TimeForce at Qqest Software. Run your small business using the IPS200T with magnetic swipe reader from TimeIPS.

Make your own employee ID swipe cards to track attendance and increase security

Keeping your business secure and tracking attendance is extremely important if you work for a company that manufacturers equipment (for safety reasons) or has confidentiality issues to deal with. You can't just allow anybody off the street into your plants and offices, and you want to track hours and attendance, so using ID badges will help your security team keep track of everyone's comings and goings.

I recommend: Print your own ID badges using a printer system from Safe-Card ID Services. The company also offers packages of plastic cards with magnetic strips to use in the machines. Install a badge reader at your front gate to allow employees in; the MCO-630 from Parking Products uses magnetic swipe technology. Visitors wanting access can stop at your guard station and check in.

Combine time and attendance with access control swipe cards in the workplace

Some companies store expensive equipment and don't need dishonest employees stealing from them. Install magnetic locks that also track time and attendance on your doors to track hours and control who has access to certain areas of your office. Sync the mag-lock to the badge reader located to the side of the door to limit admission to certain employees only. Use these convenient badge readers anywhere you feel the need to monitor access.

I recommend: Buy a badge reader from Datamatics; the employee swipes his card and the reader either flashes green for acceptance or red for rejection. Use the Smart Mag stand-alone reader from International Bar Code for limiting access to certain areas of your facility.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Implementing a swipe card payroll system is the most efficient way to run your HR department. It works in conjunction with a card swipe time clock to monitor the hours someone works and provides a report of total hours and individual punches at the end of each pay period (or week, or whatever you set it to).

Finding an attendance system, whether it's magnetic swipe cards or biometric attendance management, can be a bit of a challenge if you don't know the lingo. Understanding basic swipe systems can help you make a more informed decision.

Time and attendance can be handled with magnetic or barcode strip cards, or with simple computerized attendance. Other swipe card options have turned from swiping cards to actually swiping a person's image or image of an individual's specific characteristics. Get a basic understanding of the swipe card terminology as a starting point.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Magnetic

The magnetic swipe card is a basic time and attendance keeper where each employee gets a 'credit card' with a barcode specifically set to his or her account. The employee simply swipes the card through the time clock when he or she starts and ends his or her shift.

I recommend: SunDial Time Systems explains the magnetic time card process. The manufacturer of swipe card systems also offers explanation of magnetic benefits and uses.

Barcode

The bar code swipe card works along the same lines as the magnetic strip card, except there is a specific barcode assigned to each employee. That barcode can be used to sort and maintain payroll.

I recommend: TimeForce provides a complete description of the barcode swipe card and other time and attendance options. The barcode option allows companies to apply a specific code to each employee for better record keeping.

Buddy punching

Buddy punching, while it may seem incidental, can cost companies thousands of dollars a pay cycle. Buddy punching is when employee helps out a 'buddy' by punching him or her in even though he or she is not actually there to work.

I recommend: Read the buddy punching description at Valiant Workforce Management Solutions and find out how to prevent it.

Web Clocking

Web, or computer, clocking is used often in office settings with employees who are at their desks for a majority of their day. It can also be used kiosk-style for other types of workers. The clocking takes place via web browser and can work well for remote offices and home office workers.

I recommend: TimeIPS explains web clocking and how employees and employers can use computers to check the status of an employee.

Remote clocking

Remote clocking is a time card solution for employees clocking in wherever they may be working from-an airplane, a taxi cab or even at home. Employees clock in using a mobile phone, PDA or other mobile device.

I recommend: Use the information at TeleNav to review how remote clocking works. It offers a wireless solution to keep tabs on employees wherever they may be.

Biometrics

Biometrics is a new-age way of taking attendance in the workplace. Use fingerprints, voice identification or even eye scans to clock workers in and out. Using biometrics eliminates buddy punching and other problems with traditional time card systems because the system reads the employees specific identification.

I recommend: Read the explanation at TimeClock Plus to get a better understanding of how the fingerprinting biometric time system and some of its other biometric systems work.