SA HRtech provider Jem has officially launched its Time & Attendance solution directly on WhatsApp, enabling employees across South Africa to clock in and out using the most widely used messaging platform in the country.

This marks the launch of Time & Attendance via WhatsApp by Jem, a move that could significantly shift how South African companies manage attendance.

This solution is straightforward yet highly effective: employees can clock in and out directly inside WhatsApp, with geo-location verification. No additional hardware. No new software to download. No training sessions to navigate complex systems.

In a country where WhatsApp adoption is near universal across income levels and industries, meeting employees where they already are is a strategic advantage. From frontline security staff to distributed field teams, almost every worker already uses the platform daily. That removes one of the biggest barriers to HR tech adoption: behaviour change.

Jem’s launch is reinforcing the broader shift toward delivering workplace services through familiar messaging platforms. Similarly, Strove just launched its own WhatsApp-integrated solution, bringing health engagement with Strove Lite WhatsApp launch.

Traditional time and attendance systems often rely on biometric scanners, physical clock-in stations or standalone apps – all of which require infrastructure, maintenance and onboarding. By contrast, a WhatsApp-based solution reduces setup costs and administrative friction while increasing compliance and real-time visibility.

For companies already using Jem’s platform, rollout is seamless. With high employee registration rates on the system, adding Time & Attendance becomes an extension rather than a disruption.

The broader play is equally significant. Instead of building isolated point solutions for payroll, attendance, benefits and communication, Jem is positioning itself as a unified operating system for workforce management, delivered through a channel employees trust and use daily.

For employers, the benefits are immediate and measurable: lower hardware costs, faster implementation, improved data accuracy, geo-verified attendance and easier workforce oversight – particularly for dispersed or shift-based teams.

This news was first featured in our Feb ‘26 newsletter edition on financial inclusion through smart HR for domestic workers.

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