Civil Service clock in and out

I can't answer for the civil service but I was in a management position without flexi but I still clocked in and out on the same system for attendance recording purposes.

It's probably in case there's a fire in the building

There are government agencies with a rule for everyone that if you leave the building, you clock out. If your out was for a doctors appt, meeting, business purpose, you go into the time-recording system and put in a request for it to be allocated as working time. I think it was more about catching the people who tried to pull a fast one, rather than evacuation counts.

I've had to do similar in a multi-national private sector organisation too: someone was taking the p*ss with sick leave, so everyone (including senior technical specialists) was required to clock in and out.

Legally, employers are required to keep detailed time-and-attendance data for all employees, even senior ones. In practise, many choose to take the chance that won't get in trouble, and not do it.

A friend is an AP and he just clocks in in the morning and no more after that. The flexi clock just clocks him out for the mandatory lunch break at out at the latest clock out time all automatically. He is not bound by the clock or on flexitime either but prefers to register that he has turned up!

I would question "most places"

I have worked in a number of organizations and none require AP/PO clock in other than if they have flexi

I find the fire evacuation excuse hilarious.

Smoke billowing out of the building and someone is going to try to access the flexi system and get a printout?

Then they have to figure out who is clocked in WFO and who is clocked in WFH… but there's no differentiation on our flexi system and no fixed rota or hotdesk app either.

Where I work, some of the staff are constantly bringing equipment to other city centre buildings, or deskside support etc. it would get completely ridiculous if they had to clock out and then request a correction every time (and what happens if there's a fire in the building they're visiting?)

Someone can be clocked out but in the building, e.g. taking lunch at their desk, there's no way of recording that.

Also if someone pops out to buy a coffee at break time they're supposed to clock out?? that's just silly.

I was formerly a fire marshal and was required (if safe to do so) to check all offices, toilets etc on my floor were clear before leaving. Nobody was going to be looking at the flexi system or door card system…

In fairness, I think it was more about having a list of staff present for after any emergency (e.g. Identifying the bodies!) then printing out a list in the midst of any emergency.

As I mentioned, they could probably use the desk booking app now instead.

Don't be so silly.

HR wouldn't be identifying bodies, that would happen in a morgue, where a list of who was in the building would be relevant.

Anyway, I can see the usual messing is starting on this thread, so in summary, OP, I've explained what happens in my dept and what reason we were given for it. Hopefully you can get a straight answer from your own department on whether it is the practice in your Dept for APs to use the clock or not.

Best of luck.