SMART ATTENDANCE AND WORKFORCE ANALYTICS SYSTEM

Workforce management in Malawi remains largely paper-based, with manual attendance registers, informal leave records, and weak supervision structures that undermine productivity and institutional accountability. This paper presents AttendIQ, a Smart Attendance and Workforce Analytics System designed for the operational realities of Malawian organizations. The system integrates biometric face recognition with real-time attendance logging and overtime tracking. It is deployed on a hybrid on-premise and cloud architecture that sustains full functionality during internet outages, a critical requirement for district-level institutions. A role-based access control (RBAC) framework mirrors Malawi’s hierarchical workplace structures across three roles: Employee, Supervisor, and HR Officer. An embedded machine learning layer using XGBoost and Scikit-learn detects anomalies such as buddy punching, GPS spoofing, and habitual absenteeism, surfacing findings through an interactive interface with confidence scores and recommended actions. Delivered as a single-file, browser-executable application requiring no installation, AttendIQ is immediately deployable across diverse organizational settings. The system aligns with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS III) and the national e-Government strategy, and supports integration with regional payroll platforms, including Sage. The study adopts a design-science approach, combining system development, usability evaluation, and simulated anomaly-detection testing to assess functionality, reliability, and user acceptance. Preliminary evaluation indicates that AttendIQ can reduce manual record-keeping, strengthen supervision, improve data accuracy, and support evidence-based workforce planning. The paper also discusses implementation considerations, including data privacy, biometric consent, infrastructure constraints, staff training, and institutional adoption. Future work will extend the system with payroll integration, offline synchronisation enhancements, accountability dashboards and predictive workforce analytics.