1.1 Introduction
Clocking systems are time system used in any firm to accurately record the number of hours worked by each staff or the work force of an employee on daily basics. The success of any organization depends on the quality and characteristics of its employees. The employees become a significant factor in any organization since they are the heart of the organization. Organizations simply cannot achieve their goals and objectives without them. The organization's key aims, goals, and objectives become an embedded part of the process in the performance management and communicated through the performance appraisal process. As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Today, employee use swipe cards with a negative stripe through a slot that reads their name and records the time every time they clock in or out, much like the old punch clock system of long ago. Employee clocking systems are time system used by organization to accurately record the number of hours worked by each employee every week. The clock have evolved with time and companies still need some sort of system that they can use employees payroll and ensure that the employees are paid for each hour they worked.
The Halliburton does not used computerized employee time system. The organization makes use of manual time clock system, though time saving and error-free, is not entirely perfect. Sometimes, the magnetic strip on the back of a card may get damaged. When the employee swipes the card, the machine may not register it. Such inadequacy is corrected in the computer time clock system. Even with the advert computer software and advanced time keeping techniques, the principle of the employee time clock remains the same.
The challenges encountered that led to the execution of the research work is that the existing system has inadequacies of the manual time clock system and the problem encountered by the staff reservation section. It is against the background that the developments of this software will be useful for managers or officers in an organization as well as those involved in research work on management. This project expresses the hourly employees will always need a way to keep track of their time and organizations will need logical ways to monitor and records an employee’s time to ensure productivity.
At the end of a work week, the main computer computes the total hours worked for every employee and prints it out on a spread sheet. This rids the payroll system of human error, making it much more efficient.
1.3 Statement of Problem
The problem is centered on how to design and implement a computerized employee clocking system for Halliburton Company. From the study layout the problem determine are:
- Inadequacies of the manual time clock system
- The problem encountered by the staff reservation section.
- The impact of this software reservation section
- The impact of this software design is not entirely perfect.
- The company policy forbids employees from punching or swiping for each other and both employees stand a chance of losing their jobs if caught.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to design and implement a Computer Based Clocking System for Employees. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:
- Determine the amount of jobs which the computer can properly process at a given period;
- Advent the computer software and advanced time keeping techniques;
- Keep track of the time and ensure logical ways to monitor and record an employee’s time;
- Correct the inadequacies of the manual time cock system; and
- Suit the needs of the end-users such as biometric time clocks, punch time chalks and computer based time clocks etc.
1.5 Significance of Study
The proposed system could be useful for managers or officers in an organization as well as those involved in research work on management. However, this research work would let us know that the success of an organization largely depends on the assessment and appraisal of individuals and company employee's potential, performance and how well the organization can strive to equip all its workers. Other anticipated benefits include:
- To create a system that will effectively manage employee’s information in the office.
- To create a system for easy retrieval and maintenance of information.
- To provide a secured and reliable storing system of information.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Design and Implementation of a Computer Based Clocking System for Employees. This research is restricted to the employees in Halliburton Company located at Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this research work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.8 Assumptions
The complete implementation and follow up of what is contained in this work will be to a large extent improve and enhance the activities in planning a Computer Based Clocking System for Employees in Halliburton Company.
The workers will be paid according to the time. It is commonly placed near the main entrance or break room. An employee who is not paid for break time must clock out for a break and must also remember to clock in before. Resuming work after the break and sometimes, it is found that employees try to use time clock to gain an advantage.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Registration: This means to keep records received from the management for reference purposes.
Management: It is the co-ordination of all the resources of an Organization through the process of planning, Organization, directing and controlling
