What Is Buddy Punching (and How to Stop It)
Buddy punching is a quiet but costly form of time theft: one employee clocks in or out on behalf of another who isn't actually there.
Why It Matters
Industry studies estimate buddy punching affects a large share of US businesses and inflates payroll by a few percent, money paid for hours nobody worked. Because it looks like a normal punch, it's easy to miss without verification.
How to Prevent It
The fixes are simple: a unique per-employee PIN instead of a shared password, a webcam photo captured at each clock-in so you can see who actually punched, and GPS geofencing so mobile punches must come from the job site. Together these make buddy punching easy to deter and catch.
What to Look for in a Time Clock
Choose a time clock with photo-on-punch, GPS geofencing, and an audit log of edits. Kloqk includes all three for free, so you can stop time theft without buying biometric hardware.
FAQ
How much does buddy punching cost employers?
Estimates vary, but it commonly inflates payroll by roughly 1.5, 5% for affected businesses, real money for paying unworked hours.
What's the best way to stop buddy punching?
A photo captured at each punch plus GPS geofencing and per-employee PINs, exactly what Kloqk provides free.
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