KOC introduces biometric attendance system effective June 7
The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has issued a circular announcing the implementation of an integrated biometric attendance system for employees, effective June 7, as part of efforts to strengthen workplace discipline and enhance operational efficiency.
The circular requires all department heads and supervisors to strictly enforce official working hour regulations and holds them directly responsible for monitoring employee attendance during work hours and that employee entitlements and benefits will be calculated based on attendance records.
The circular outlined three approved categories of permission — official work assignments, personal permission, and medical permission.
Under the new rules, employees may avail personal permission for up to nine hours per month, distributed over a maximum of four instances, with each instance not exceeding four hours. Unused hours cannot be carried forward to subsequent months.
Medical permission for visits to hospitals or health centers is limited to two occasions per month, with each visit capped at five hours.
Approval is subject to submission of supporting medical documents. If a medical facility issues a sick leave certificate, employees must upload it through the leave system, after which the deducted medical hours will be restored.
The circular also introduced provisions governing grace periods, allowing employees to arrive up to 30 minutes late without penalty. Any delay beyond this period will be classified as lateness, with the corresponding time deducted.
The total accumulated grace period may not exceed nine hours per month, while employees are still required to complete eight working hours daily.
KOC emphasized that biometric fingerprint devices will be the sole officially approved method for verifying attendance and departure, including overtime and leave-related procedures.
Employees unable to use the devices must immediately inform their direct supervisors. The company warned against misuse of the system, particularly attempts to register attendance without being physically present at the workplace, stressing that disciplinary and legal action will be taken against violators.
The circular clarified that employees working under shift-based or irregular rotating schedules are exempt from personal permission and grace period regulations. It also stated that medical and personal permissions cannot be combined on the same day.
KOC assigned responsibility for interpreting and implementing these regulations to the company’s Human Resources Group.
