Sitting among a jumble of cords and circuit boards in a cosy office above a smash repairs workshop in Melbourne’s east, Mike Whyte is a happy man.

His business makes the so-called “Bundy clock” — those machines workers use to clock in and out of their shift — and business is booming.

While the Bundy clock will be familiar for many staff in hospitality or factory jobs, a raft of white-collar office workers will soon become intimate with the process thanks to a Fair Work Commission ruling that requires them to record their hours.