Employee ID Cards: Does Adding a Validity Period Make a Difference?

Relevance of Employee ID Cards with Validity Period

To what extent does the relevance of an Employee ID Card increase or decrease with or without a validity period printed on it?

Regards,
Manish Gupta
Lucknow

It is not considered safe or proper to have an Employee ID Card extending until perpetuity, as there can be misuse, and the very purpose of having identification of employees gets defeated. Generally, ID cards are kept valid for 3 or 5 years or until the superannuation of the employee concerned, whichever is earlier.

Warm regards.

Actually, every card costs us approximately INR 140, and the number of employees is more than 1,500. Consequently, the budget affects us more heavily. As far as perpetuity is concerned, we never allow any employee to process their full and final settlement without submitting ID cards to the HR department. The frequency of misuse may be quite low, so can't we consider other factors besides the least frequent misuses?

Regards,
Manish

I have considered all the aspects in your reply. In that case, you need not put any expiry date (e.g., valid till...) on the ID card itself. Management can take up the issue of new cards as and when it feels necessary or as per the need in case of lost and damaged cards.

Warm regards.

Thank you very much, Raj Sir. Actually, I had a prolonged discussion on this topic with one of the senior officials. Ultimately, we reached a conclusion to prioritize the misuse of ID cards over cost considerations.

Regards,
Manish

Employee ID cards with validity can be determined yearly. If Employee A joins a company on 1.1.2013, the validity should be up to 31.12.2013. Later, if he continues, his old ID card should be surrendered to get a new valid ID card. If he leaves, he should submit the card before his exit. This process helps in controlling the misuse of the card and ensures its safety. Though time-consuming, it adds significant value.

Regards,
Manifaro

Alternatively, should cost be a real issue, print an ID with 4 or 5 boxes at the back of it, giving you a space to place a sticker with a date of validity. You can place the sticker every anniversary date of the employee (i.e., during the signing of contract renewal).

Hope that helps. 