Central Govt Sets 9:15 AM Deadline, Warns Of Casual Leave Deductions For Latecomers: Report

New Delhi: To address the issue of latecomers, The Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has implemented a new rule which requires all government employees, including senior officials to arrive at the office by 9 am. The employees are expected to punch in by 9:15 am with a grace period of 15 minutes is allowed.

Biometric Attendance Resumes After Four Years

All employees including senior officers have been instructed to resume using the biometric attendance system. It has not been used since the Covid outbreak four years ago. The directive to reintroduce biometric services was initially issued in 2022, according to a report by TOI. ()

“For any reason, if the employee is not able to attend office on a particular day, it should be informed in advance and casual leave should be applied for,” the circular cited by The Times of India mentioned that officers will monitor the attendance and punctuality of employees in their sections. ()

Penalties for Late Arrivals

The report states that staff members have been warned that arriving after 9:15 am will result in a half-day casual leave deduction. Central government offices operate from 9 am to 5:30 pm. However, junior-level employees often arrive late and leave early which is especially inconvenient for public-facing roles. Senior officials argue that they often work beyond regular office hours and leaving after 7 pm so they do not have fixed working hours.

Efforts to Enforce Office Hours

In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government tried to enforce strict office hours but employees resisted, citing long commutes as a major challenge. Last year's directive urged central government employees to resume using biometric attendance, stressing the importance of seriously addressing habitual lateness and early departures.