The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in Tamil Nadu aims to implement a biometric attendance system to enhance workplace discipline and ensure employees complete their full work shifts. This decision follows complaints about tardiness and attendance issues, especially among field-level staff. The proposed system, if implemented, is expected to boost accountability and efficiency in monitoring the work schedules of the Corporation’s 36,381 workers.
Officials believe that leveraging technology for attendance tracking could streamline operations and enhance efficiency, given the Corporation’s extensive workforce and diverse operational areas. GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran has indicated initial discussions on introducing biometric attendance for all employee categories. The detailed plans for this system will be finalized after assessing implementation requirements and progress.
As part of the proposed system, employees might have to mark their attendance twice daily – at the beginning and end of their shifts. Field staff may use a mobile-based attendance system with geofencing technology for outdoor duties, capturing their photos and locations for real-time verification. Former GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran mentioned prior talks on face-recognition attendance systems and the development of a mobile app for field staff attendance.
While the plan shows promise, employee unions have expressed concerns about past systems’ ineffective implementation and enforcement gaps. Currently, biometric attendance is limited to administrative staff at the Ripon Building, with exemptions for several senior officials.
