Signing In

[Bingo99]

My company - office type one - has a signing in sheet that people have to enter the time they arrive and leave. While I understand the importance of this as it relates to H&S in terms of knowing who is in and out, does the actual time have to be included by law?

Thanks

[webbo3]

We do this where I work as well as clocking in digitally, the signing in sheet is for a fire list, if the building is evacuated and the staff go to the designated areas then the staff can have a roll call to see if anyone is left trapped in the building.


Dave.

[factor-fiction]

The answer is 'no' as I can't see any reason why there would be any laws requiring a record to be kept of times of exit and entry. Whether employers want people to clock in via handwritten sheets, clock cards or computer, or whether they just trust employees to work the required hours, is up to them.
As for fire procedures, in my experience these signing in sheets are not very reliable as so many people forget to sign out

[Buenchico]

The answer to your question depends upon what you mean when you write 'by law'.

There is no specific legislation (either civil or criminal) requiring a record to be kept of the times that staff enter and leave their workplace. However all employment contracts (whether explicitly or wholly implicitly) require employees to carry out all such reasonable instructions as the employer may give.

Obviously an employer can't expect you to carry heavy weights unaided, to sort out the boss's marital problems or to remove the appendix of a sick colleague. Refusal to carry out any such instructions would not be a breach of your employment contract, as they were not 'reasonable', so you couldn't be disciplined for such refusal.

However an employment tribunal would almost certainly rule that a requirement to record the time of entering and leaving the premises is wholly 'reasonable' and thus that any employee who failed to follow that instruction was in breach of their contract of employment.

[boxtops]

This isn't unusual at all if you are a visitor - we have to sign in and out when we go to many buildings across our organisation. How else does the fire warden know who's on site, if there's an evacuation? I don't think it's an unreasonable request, unless there's an ulterior motive - people who work their hours have nothing to hide.

[woofgang]

nothing to add to what others have said except its a common and useful practice. it is also allowable to use the sheet to prove other things such as late arrival, early departure, lying about arrival time.
not sure what your problem is?