Clocking time and attendance system allows for smoking breaks

Other authorities are following the lead of Gateshead and Newcastle Councils, where workers already clock out for smoking breaks. A Norfolk council is pushing through a policy where staff might not be paid for cigarette breaks, no doubt being informed by research showing that smokers waste 30 minutes a day. Workers could be forced to clock off when they go for a smoke under proposals made by Breckland Council, which said the move aimed to make it fairer for individuals who did not smoke.

Whatever the policy of your organisation, to smoke or not to smoke within company time, unpaid and paid breaks are both covered by our time and attendance technology. Under a Time and Attendance North East system, workers clock in and out with their contactless smart cards, and the data is used by the software to generate reports. Reasons for absence can be added to employee shifts, such as a smoking break. An Exception view quickly identifies areas where the normal working pattern has not been followed.