I finally saw the point of our new time clock software after six months of hating it

Our old system was a punch card machine from the 90s. You'd jam your card in, it would click and print the time. The new one is an app on our phones. For months I thought it was just a dumb way for corporate to spy on us. But last week, I got a call from payroll asking about a missing punch from three months ago on the old system. It took me an hour to find the paper stub to prove I was here. The new app logs every punch with GPS and a selfie. It's annoying, but now I see it cut payroll's 'where were you' calls by about 80% according to my boss. The before was simple but broke all the time. The after is a hassle but it works. Has anyone else had a dumb tech change at work that actually fixed a bigger problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.fiona1mo agoMost Upvoted

I mean, I get that it cut down on payroll calls, but the GPS and selfie thing is a bridge too far for me. It turns showing up for your job into a constant check for proof you're there. The old system broke, sure, but maybe the fix should have been something that doesn't feel like you're on parole. Idk, maybe it's just me but trading one kind of hassle for a whole new kind of surveillance doesn't feel like a win.

webb.blake1mo ago

Yeah the selfie thing is creepy at first. But honestly, it just becomes a habit like anything else. You stop thinking of it as a mugshot and more like a quick tap to start your day. The GPS is the same, it's just confirming you're at the shop and not clocking in from home. The real win is when you don't have to dig through a box of paper stubs to prove you worked a Tuesday three months back. That trade-off is worth the five seconds of minor annoyance.

parker2247d ago

@ward.fiona I hear you but honestly I think the whole surveillance angle gets blown out of proportion. You already carry a phone that tracks your every move and search history, so a GPS ping when you clock in is nothing compared to that. And the selfie thing takes what two seconds? Half the time your phone unlocks with your face anyway, so what's the difference? The old paper system was a disaster waiting to happen, one lost stub and you're out hours of pay. Plus the company can actually see when people are abusing the system compared to just trusting someone's word. Really feels like people want to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to convenience versus privacy.