A fingerprint attendance system is a popular method to keep track of employees and their attendance. Several security systems were introduced in companies previously to track employees’ absences, but they were not successful because of loopholes. The introduction of biometric technology is a revolution by itself. It took many years of technological innovations and development to make the system a success. The biometric system is easy to install, use, and effectively get employee data for the management to access and evaluate.
The main advantage of these systems is that they prevent employees from clocking in for one another. Employers were losing a lot as the employees resort to ‘buddy punching. Employees were sharing their usernames and passwords and signing in for colleagues who were late or absent.
How does biometric work:
The fingerprints of the person clocking in and clocking out are scanned. Users get access if the endpoints and intersections of the fingerprint match with the record available in the database. If the employee record is not available in the database or does not match, the person cannot use the fingerprint attendance system. The biometric system also has mobile compatibility to keep track of employees who work remotely or are on field jobs ( delivery boys, repairs & maintenance teams).
Employers can keep track of their time and ensure the employees are not misusing the timeclock. The system also comes in useful when there is an accident or other misfortune. the employers can cross-check if the employee claims are valid or not. Workers comp Tucson rules say the worker is entitled to receive medical and compensation benefits if injured or meet with an accident while on duty.
Two types of technology to scan:
1. Optical scanner: More widely used than the other system, optical scanners use an LED light to flash on the finger. The scanner uses a CMOS sensor or CCD (charge-coupled device) made light-sensitive microchip to create an image. The scanning process starts when the person places his finger on the touch surface ( glass plate.)
2. Capacitive scanner: Here, instead of LED light, an electrical current is used to sense the light. An array of capacitor plates is put to use to capture the fingerprint image.
There are a few reasons why the optical scanner serves better for the fingerprint attendance system in usage than the capacitive sensor.
1. As the name suggests, the optical scanner is optical in shape because the sensor surface does not require any maintenance. On the other hand, the capacitive scanner has a chip type of sensor. The coatings on the sensor are not even and are likely to wear out which impacts its performance and reliability.
2. The optical scanner is durable, scratch-resistant, and the glass plate comes of unbreakable material. The scanner is also shockproof and resistant to extreme weather conditions. In contrast, the capacitive readers are easily damageable by electrostatic discharge. The surface also decays with use. Besides, the silicon chips are very delicate and frail and likely will be damaged by any external force or impact.
3. Optical scanners have large imaging areas and can produce large and high-resolution images, whereas the capacitive sensors have smaller image areas that give smaller images with lower resolution.
4. The manufacturing cost of the optical scanners is lower than the capacitive readers. With longer life and zero maintenance the optical readers are more cost- efficient.
How safe is the system:
The fingerprint attendance system is safe, reliable, and unique. Although some people are wary of using it, they think it can be hacked or logged into by law enforcement agencies or similar. However, the fear is unwarranted as only the entity that uses the system can access the data. The purpose of the system is to track time and attendance and allow entry to the employees to some authorized areas of the premises.
Other than the fingerprint and ID number of the employee, the system does not have any additional information. Even if there is a hacking, the hackers will not get any other employee’s personal information.
Some systems offer better security by automatically deleting the fingerprints after the scanning is complete. The software obtains the coordinates and vertices, creates a collection of them, and stacks it in the database. The identity of the employee is safe with the deletion of the fingerprint from the system. When the employee wants to clock in, they put their finger on the touchscreen. The coordinate on file matches the fingerprint and verifies the staff identity.
The key benefits of Biometric System
The system is safe, easy to use, and provides accurate results for payroll processing. The attendance data can be directly uploaded to payroll processing.
Biometric systems are much more precise than the previous clock-in systems. There is no chance of forgery or duplicating the biometric functional features. Before this system, the possibility of employees cheating and making false claims to take advantage of the worker’s comp Tucson act was high. Employees constantly move between multiple worksites, and in case any accident occurred at a site, there were chances of employees claiming false compensation. Now with the tracking system, you have control over the employee movements till they clock out.
Another significant benefit for employers with the fingerprint attendance system is the elimination of buddy punching. As mentioned in the initial paragraphs above, buddy punching happens when an employee clocks in for a colleague who is running late to make it look, he arrived on time. It also can occur when an employee leaves early without notice and asks his colleague to clock out as if he checked out at the right time. This way, they could save a cut in their payment. The use of biometrics is the first step to prevent this threat of buddy punching.
Conclusion:
Employers have every reason to fully accept and utilize the fingerprint attendance system considering the numerous benefits. Keeping track of the employee movements also enables them to find out all the time thefts and illegal activities they were exposed to earlier.
