Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, and Acting Chairman of the Civil Service Council Sherida Al-Muasherji on Friday issued a decision requiring faceprints to prove an employee's attendance, presence and departure during official working hours.

That came in Decision No. 6 (2024) regarding adding Article No. 10 bis to Civil Service Council Decision No. 41 of 2006 regarding official work rules.

According to the decision, the employer may add other electronic means to fingerprint systems in addition to facial print according to what it deems to be in the interest of work.

The Civil Service Council Resolution states the following: "After reviewing Decree Law No. 15 (1979) regarding the Civil Service and its amending laws, the Decree issued on 4/4/1979 regarding the Civil Service System and its amending decrees, and Civil Service Council Resolution No. 41 of 2006 regarding the rules, provisions, and controls of official work and its amendments, based on the proposal of the Civil Service Bureau and after the approval of the Civil Service Council.

Article 1: Article No. 10 bis shall be added to Civil Service Council Resolution No. 41 of 2006 referred to, and its text shall be as follows;

Article 10 bis: Without prejudice to the leave regulations and the prescribed grace period, proof of the employee's attendance, departure, and presence at the workplace during official working hours shall be by facial print.

The entity may also add other electronic means to the fingerprint systems in addition to facial print according to what it deems to be in the interest of work.

The employee must prove his presence at the workplace during official working hours by taking a fingerprint within sixty minutes following the expiration of two hours from the start of his shift.

This fingerprint does not bind the employee if he obtains permission, and any part of it must be signed within 60 minutes.

The employee who does not prove his presence in the manner stated in the previous paragraph within the sixty minutes referred to shall be deemed to have left during official working hours without permission.

However, in this case, the period following the expiration of two hours from his attendance until the time of proving his presence by fingerprint shall be included within the monthly delay periods by Article 18 of this resolution.

The Civil Service Bureau may set other dates for taking a fingerprint to prove the employee's presence at the workplace during official working hours according to the circumstances and interests of the work.