Buddy Punching
Buddy punching occurs when an employee records time on behalf of a coworker who is not present, creating inaccurate time and attendance records. It raises labor costs, undermines schedule adherence, and can expose organizations to compliance risks if records are falsified. Preventing it requires clear policies, manager oversight, and tools such as biometric or photo-verified time clocks that confirm identity at the point of punch. Consistent enforcement is essential so employees understand that accurate timekeeping protects pay equity and operational integrity. When controls are effective, managers gain cleaner data for forecasting and payroll auditing, and teams trust the accuracy of reported hours. Pairing prevention with transparent communication avoids a punitive culture while still protecting the business and its financial integrity.
What It Costs You
Buddy punching is time fraud, where one employee clocks in or out for another. It inflates labor cost, distorts attendance data, and undermines trust in time and attendance systems.
For Buddy Punching, it also creates fairness issues. When one person benefits from unearned hours, everyone else carries the load through tighter coverage and stricter enforcement.
How It Happens
Buddy punching often appears in teams that use shared clocks, weak approval workflows, or inconsistent enforcement. It can also rise during peak seasons when supervisors are stretched thin and exceptions go unchecked.
Gaps between scheduling, time tracking, and payroll systems make it harder to spot patterns until costs accumulate.
Prevention Moves That Work
- Use biometric or photo verification where appropriate and compliant.
- Require supervisor review for manual edits or late punches.
- Cross-check schedule adherence against time punches weekly.
- Communicate policy consequences consistently across teams.
Signals to Monitor
- High volume of manual timecard edits.
- Repeated punches from the same device outside shift locations.
- Patterns of identical clock-in times across multiple employees.
- Unexplained overtime on low-volume days.
Prevention works best when policy and systems align. If supervisors are allowed to override punches without documentation, the system invites abuse. Require reason codes for edits and review them weekly.
Education matters too. Many teams reduce buddy punching by explaining how it impacts payroll accuracy and fair scheduling, not just by emphasizing discipline.
When biometric tools are not an option, use location-based or device-based validation to add friction without harming legitimate clock-ins.
