KUWAIT CITY, Aug 3: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, and Acting Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Sherida Al-Muasherji, has issued a new regulation mandating the use of facial recognition technology to verify employee attendance, departure, and presence during official working hours. This decision, No. 6 of 2024, adds Article 10 bis to the Civil Service Commission Resolution No. 41 of 2006 concerning the rules, provisions, and controls of official work.

According to the decision, obtained by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), employers may also incorporate additional electronic means to the existing fingerprint systems as deemed necessary to enhance work efficiency.

Provisions of Article 10 bis:

1. Attendance verification: Employees are required to use facial recognition to verify their attendance, departure, and presence at the workplace during official working hours. Employers may integrate other electronic methods alongside the facial print system to meet operational needs.
2. Fingerprinting requirement: Employees must take a fingerprint within sixty minutes following the expiration of two hours from the start of their shift. This requirement is waived if the employee has obtained permission that overlaps with this sixty-minute window.
3. Non-compliance consequences: Employees who fail to verify their presence within the specified sixty minutes will be considered absent without permission. The period from the expiration of two hours after their arrival until they verify their presence by fingerprint will count towards the monthly delay periods, as outlined in Article 18 of the resolution.
4. Additional fingerprinting schedules: The Civil Service Commission may establish alternative fingerprinting schedules to verify employee presence during official working hours, based on specific work circumstances and requirements.

This decision is effective immediately and will be published in the Official Gazette.