Guide
How to Stop Proxy Attendance and Buddy Punching
Practical ways to make “sign me in, I’m on the way” stop working.
Short answer: Proxy attendance, or buddy punching, is when one employee marks attendance for another. Stop it by tying each check-in to the employee’s own account, their location at the branch, a live selfie taken at that moment and the server’s clock, then reviewing anything unusual. No single check is unbeatable; together they make proxy attendance visible.
Why it happens
- A register or shared sheet does not show who signed.
- A late colleague asks a friend to sign; it feels harmless.
- A GPS-only app can be tapped by whoever holds the phone.
What stops it
| Check | What it prevents |
|---|---|
| Personal account per employee | Signing on someone else’s line |
| Location at the branch | Checking in from home or on the way |
| Live selfie at check-in | A colleague checking in on your phone |
| Server time | Changing the phone clock to look on time |
| New-device and impossible-travel flags | Using another phone, or two branches minutes apart |
| Review by a manager | Edge cases a rule would get wrong |
Do it without punishing honest staff
- Flag doubtful check-ins for review instead of rejecting them — GPS indoors is imperfect.
- Let employees request a correction with a reason, and keep the history.
- Tell staff exactly what is collected. Preez reads location only at check-in and check-out.
See biometric vs mobile attendance for the hardware alternative.
Frequently asked questions
What is buddy punching?
When one employee clocks in or signs the register for another who is late or absent.
Can a selfie be faked?
Preez only accepts a photo taken with the camera at that moment, not one picked from the gallery, and a manager can review it. No method is impossible to cheat, which is why several signals are combined.
Does stopping proxy attendance require tracking employees?
No. Checks at the moment of check-in and check-out are enough; Preez does not track location in between.