In an effort to curb tardiness, the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has mandated that employees nationwide, including senior officers, arrive at the office by 9:15 am and record their attendance using the biometric system. According to a report, staff members who fail to meet this requirement will forfeit half a day of casual leave.
Employees are instructed to use the biometric attendance system instead of register-based attendance. The circular, as reported by the Times of India, states, “For any reason, if the employee is not able to attend office on a particular day, it should be informed in advance and casual leave should be applied for.” Many staff members have not been using the biometric system since the Covid-19 outbreak four years ago.
The DoPT has also directed senior officers to oversee the attendance and punctuality of employees in their respective sections. Although Central government offices operate from 9 am to 5:30 pm, staff members are notorious for arriving late and leaving early, which inconveniences the public, particularly in departments that serve them directly.
Government Officials: “We Work Beyond Fixed Office Hours, End Up Working On Holidays Too”
Senior officers contend that they often work beyond their designated hours. They note that, with office files accessible electronically post-Covid, they frequently work from home, including on holidays and weekends.
Upon taking office in 2014, the Modi government introduced the Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance system to enforce office hours. This system was paused during the Covid outbreak but resumed in February 2022. The recent circular has cautioned against “habitual late coming and early leaving of office” by government officials.
The initiative aims to enhance efficiency in government operations.