Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ensure timely arrival of employees in office, the Odisha Higher Education Department has issued an order directing its State Secretariat staff to register their biometric attendance on working days.

Non-recording of the biometric attendance will be treated as absence of the employee, the order said. "Every employee is required to record his/her 'Office In' as well as 'Office Out' time in the Biometric Attendance Recording Device. Non-recording of 'Office In' or 'Office Out' time shall be treated as absence from duty for that day," an official notification said.

This apart, the employees have been asked to come to office by 10 am and be present for a minimum duration of 7 hours and 30 minutes. A grace period of half an hour shall be allowed for the 'Office In' timing.

If an employee's presence in the office is more than 4 hours but less than 7 hours and 30 minutes on a working day, a half day-leave will be deducted. Similarly, if the attendance is less than four hours, an one-day leave will be deducted, the order said.

"An employee may have to work beyond 5.30 pm or 7.30 hours of duty in a day in case of need," the order added.