Many of our clients issue photo employee ID cards without an expiration date. For companies which have an exit interview procedure, an expiration date is often not necessary because they can recover the ID card when an employee leaves. Other organizations are not concerned about the potential for an ex-employee to potentially use an ID card which is no longer valid.
But for many organizations, an expiration date is an easy and effective way to ensure that old, outdated or invalid ID cards cannot be used inappropriately. If expiration dates are visibly displayed for easy checking, then even if an employee leaves with his badge, it will not be valid for long. Some clients, to facilitate visual checking, issue each years’ cards with a different color band, making it quickly evident which year the card is valid for.
Expiration dates also offer the advantage of ensuring that photos are regularly updated to more accurately reflect the current look of the employee. And of course, where training records and qualifications are concerned, which have definite expiration dates, a time limit on the card may be an absolute requirement. Membership organizations often require a date on card, as further encouragement to members to renew their membership each year.
While there is a small cost to the annual re-issuance of ID cards, this is often compensated for by the advantages of being able to easily check the current validity of the ID card holder.
