It's the oldest dodge in the book and if you work in an industry that requires you to fill out a time card or punch a clock that records the hours you've worked, you may have been tempted to do it - have someone else record your presence when you're not even there.
Most workers are honest and never pad their hours. Some even put in overtime to complete a project and never get paid for it. But in a world where growing business pressures have left unions and bosses already feeling a deep divide comes a new challenge - and it's only likely to widen those resentments.
An increasingly large number of companies are installing biometric palm readers, which require workers to literally put their hand up and swear they've been at their jobs during scheduled hours. Employees in places where the devices have been put in must place their hand on a scanner and allow it to read their palm prints. The information is then sent to a computer.
It replaces the old time card system and reduces the amount of paper needed to keep the records, saving millions of dollars. Many large corporations, including McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Hilton Hotels and even the U.S Marine Corps now use them.
But this rush to the future is leaving some workers and their reps. feeling very uneasy.
"They don't even have to hire someone to harass you anymore. The machine can do it for them," gripes Ed Ott of the huge American union the AFL-CIO. "The palm print thing really grabs people as a step too far."
Plans by New York City to force some 160,000 civic workers to use the devices have sparked long and loud howls of protests.
Many insist it destroys any bond of trust between an employer and those who earn their paycheques.
"Psychologically, I think it has had a huge impact on the work force here because it is demeaning and because it's a system based on mistrust," worries city landscape architect Ricardo Hinkle. "The creative process isn't one that punches in and punches out."
Others note that they often stay overtime without charge to complete their tasks and this system makes them less likely to bother. And some are worried about privacy concerns.
But the companies who make the readers defend them, noting they can save firms a fortune, end even the hint of fraud and are very secure. And they don't record fingerprints - only the shape of your hand.
Most union reps don't buy it and are pleading for their companies not to, either. "The bottom line is that these palm scanners are designed to exercise more control over the workforce," accuses Claude Fort, a union president. "They aren't there for security purposes. It has nothing to do with productivity. ... It is about control, and that is what makes us nervous."
But he may have to find a way to calm down because it appears the biometrics units are here to stay. Manufacturers sold about $365 million worth of them last year and most expect those profits to grow as more firms upgrade their systems.
It's not clear if the workers who make them also have to scan themselves in - or how they feel about the process.
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