Kuwait Oil Company issued an official circular mandating the implementation of an integrated system to verify employee attendance and departure via biometric fingerprint devices, effective from June 7, as part of the company's efforts to enhance commitment and raise the level of operational efficiency.

The circular issued by the General Administration obliges all heads and supervisors to adhere to the rules and regulations of official working hours, holding them directly responsible for monitoring the presence of their employees during working hours, while clarifying that work entitlements will be disbursed according to the data recorded in the attendance and departure system.Types of permission and its rules

The circular specified three types of approved permission: permission for official work duties, personal permission, and medical permission.

Regarding personal leave, the system allows granting it up to a maximum of nine hours per month, distributed over four times, with a maximum of four hours per time, provided that unused hours are not carried over to the following month.

Medical leave for visiting hospitals and health centers is limited to twice a month, with each visit not exceeding five hours. The circular stipulates that supporting documentation is required for approval. If the medical facility issues a sick leave certificate, the employee must submit it through the leave system, and the medical leave hours will then be refunded.

Grace period

The circular included provisions regarding the grace period, allowing employees to be late for work by no more than thirty minutes; otherwise, their arrival would be considered late, and the full period would be deducted from their pay. It also stipulated that the total number of separate grace periods should not exceed nine hours per month, and that the employee must have completed eight working hours daily.

Attendance and departure

Regarding the attendance verification process, the circular stipulated that biometric fingerprint devices are the only officially recognized method, and that this requirement applies to all cases of overtime and leave requests. If these devices cannot be used, the employee must immediately notify their direct supervisor. The circular strongly warned against using these devices to verify attendance without being physically present at the workplace, indicating that the company will take appropriate disciplinary and legal action against violators.

The circular clarified that employees working on a shift system or irregular rotating hours are not subject to the provisions of personal leave and the grace period, and it is not permissible to combine medical and personal leave on the same day.

The task of overseeing the interpretation and application of these rules was assigned to the company's human resources group.