Are you still relying on paper-based attendance systems? Get out of the Dark Ages and into the revolutionary new world of biometric access control systems! This type of attendance and time tracking system scans fingerprints and palm prints with a quick, easy scan that can identify individual employees within one second.
Don’t fumble with fobs or fuss over ID cards anymore. Instead, you get instant, accurate employee time tracking that will make your payroll processes seamless. Take a look at our extra services, such as time clock software, punch clocks, employee swipe cards and web-based services to complement your growing business.
If you assume you can’t afford a biometric access control system, we urge you to fill out our online quote request form for a customized price that will show you just how affordable it can be to integrate an attendance and time tracking system into your business.
6 Things You Need to Know About Biometric Time Clocks
Are you considering implementing biometric time clocks for your business but remain unsure of how they work? Check out these great facts.
In today’s modern workplace paper time sheets and clock-in/clock-out time cards strike us all as outdated, but that isn’t the main problem with them. The real issue with these forms of tracking time is how much they cost employers.
Based on research published in 2017, employers could be losing more than $373 million each year because of a payroll loophole known as “buddy punching.” As the name suggests, buddy punching is when a friend or co-worker fills out time or punches a timecard for an employee who is absent or running late, allowing them to be paid for time even when they aren’t at work.
Modern payroll systems like biometric time clocks eliminate this issue, so if you haven’t already, you should consider them for your business.
Below, we’re breaking down the top six things you should know about biometric time clocks and how they can improve your business.
1. What Exactly Are Biometric Time Clocks?
Biometric time clocks are advanced systems that allow employers to track the time and attendance of their employees. They often do double duty as a way for employees to gain access to their building or office suite which also makes note of the date and time of their entrance.
2. How Do They Work?
Some payroll systems rely on employees being given a means of tracking time, such as a work code or pin number. Biometric time clocks are different in that they rely on a unique physical attribute of the employee. For example, employees could be required to use a fingerprint scan as a means of “clocking in.”
The scanner takes a high-quality image of the fingerprint of the employee attempting to gain access to the office. Images of fingerprints are never stored in the system, but rather record scans as a numerical string in order to identify the employee.
An identification can be made in less than one second and, if there is a match, then the employee will be granted access and the time and date of the entrance is noted.
The information is made available to the human resources department. In addition to being used for payroll, the stats from a biometric system can be evaluated to determine when an employee is eligible for sick leave or paid time off.
3. How Much Do They Cost?
Because biometric time clocks make use of modern technology, many businesses assume that they are too expensive. In reality, biometric time clocks are reasonably priced and are designed to be affordable for both big companies and small businesses.
Costs will typically be based on your exact needs and can vary as additional services are added, but no matter what your budget, there is a way to make the system attainable for you.
It’s also important to keep in mind how much you’ll be saving in the long run by switching to biometric time clocks, as buddy punching and payroll fraud is eliminated.
4. How Reliable are Biometric Time Clocks?
Physical traits obviously can’t be stolen, lost or left behind or forgotten somewhere. Because of that, using them as a means of time and attendance tracking is an extremely reliable solution for businesses that are looking to modernize their payroll system and introduce new technology.
But still, there are questions about whether or not biometric time clocks can be cheated.
Like all technology, biometric systems have vulnerabilities and can be subject to the damage caused by computer hackers with ill-intentions. Software-based attacks are rare but are possible if the hacker is sophisticated enough or determined enough.
The truth is, though, hacks are the price you pay for any computer-based technology and the risk of a biometric hack is minimal. Since fingerprint information isn’t stored in the system, a hacker would have to have payroll fraud as their main goal in order to make targeting a biometric system worth it.
5. Are Biometric Time Clocks Easy to Implement?
Most employees do not embrace change — particularly technology upgrades — with open arms. But enrolling employees in a biometric system is so easy that you shouldn’t be met with much resistance.
Employees are automatically enrolled from the first time they use the system. The process is simple for managers too, who can add or remove enrollees from the system on their own computers at their desks.
As an employer, you also have the ability to choose which employees you want using a biometrics system or a specific office location where you want it installed. It does not have to be used throughout everyone at the company. That makes it easy to roll the change out in stages, or to test it with a small group of employees before switching everyone over.
6. What are the Potential Downsides to Implementing Fingerprint Clock System?
Hopefully, you now have a good sense of the pros of switching to a biometric time clock, but it’s important to understand where resistance to the system might come from.
At first, employees may be concerned about a violation of privacy when they’re being asked to identify themselves based on physical attributes. The important thing to note, and to relay to them, is that the system does not actually store any of their identifying information.
Occasional false-positive can happen too. This could result is someone gaining access to the building who is not supposed to be there, or a valid employee being kept out. False-positives are rare, but can happen, and technicians should be available to analyze the technology if they do happen.
Ready to Consider a Biometric Time Clock?
If you’ve relied on paper time sheets or punch cards for a long time, making the switch to a biometric time clock might seem like a big investment.
But having a reliable employee attendance record is well worth it, especially when you consider that the cost is affordable and the installation is easy.
If you’re ready to cut down on buddy punching and time card fraud and switch to a more reliable system, please feel free to contact us for a quote.
Our team is ready to work with your company to determine the best system for your needs.
