Currently, the attendance system implemented in government departments is a sheet of paper where the employee registers his name and time of presence. Most employees register to be on time, even in case they arrive late. Some register the names of absent colleagues. A fingerprinting system would record the name and time of arrival automatically, and leave no room for the employee to cheat.

Muhammad Al-Qadi, manager in a construction company in the Eastern Province, said that a large number of employees in the company failed to come to work on time. He said that the company was forced to install the electronic fingerprinting system to ensure that all employees were treated equally. “Any delay of employees is a delay in production. The last thing we want is to treat employees unfair.”

He said that employees should hold themselves accountable and treat their work with respect. Sadly, because of a reckless minority, the company was forced to rely on a fingerprinting system. Although the committed employees were upset about the new system, they feared nothing because they already came and left on time.

Some government departments have begun to install fingerprinting systems. Most employees’ reactions were negative. They claimed that it canceled their freedom to come and leave whenever they wanted to. To combat the system, they started to spread the rumor that the fingerprinting system passed viruses and diseases. They claimed that the fingerprinting system increased the possibility of contracting some skin diseases.

On the other hand, employees complained that some managers only focused on attendance, ignoring the quality and quantity of work. According to Abu Ahmad, government employee, they did not care anymore about employees doing their work on time, and focused only on coming to work on time. He said, “If we had a survey, we would find out that the majority of employees is angry about the attendance measures. It shakes the employees’ confidence. Some managers install secret spies to see who is leaving work early or arriving late. Instead, they should strengthen the employees’ confidence and focus more on the quality of their work.”