This method of employee time tracking includes having them sign in at the company’s entrance using a card or fingerprint. A common scenario in many companies, it not very helpful in measuring work productivity because being present does not mean that an employee is actually working. He might be playing games, reading the news or chatting with colleagues.

Less sophisticated programs simply note when the computer was turned on and the time frames in which employees used the keyboard or mouse. This is not helpful either, because it does not truly measure office productivity. Workers may be using their computer to play games or watch movies, but the program will log these as work activities. The lack of details surrounding user actions makes this system easy for employees to deceive.