Most companies, irrespective of their size, are turning to biometric devices. Unlike the traditional timekeeping methods, these devices don’t leave any room for error and manipulation.
A business can become successful only if the job roles are divided appropriately. Ideally, in any company, ground-level staff must work, the team leaders must instruct and monitor their progression, and the managers should take steps to make every employee work perfectly.
To get the best output from each of your employees, you must ensure that all are punctual. For that, you will have to maintain their attendance record meticulously. Currently, most companies rely on biometric devices instead of traditional timekeeping methods.
The section below explains the working procedure of biometric attendance machines and compares them with conventional time clocks.
The Working Procedure of Biometric Attendance Machines
Switching to biometric units is the best and easiest way to stop your employees from manipulating attendance records. The biometric systems don’t rely on anything that can be exploited. As their name suggests, they rely on biology. They scan every employee’s biomarkers using different sensors and then analyse and compare the scans with samples stored in the company’s database.
A biometric attendance machine typically uses two metrics or markers to identify an individual. There are separate sensors for every marker used for this purpose. The most common metrics/markers used by biometric devices are as follows:
- Facial Recognition: Facial recognition captures the image of an individual’s face and matches his/her facial features with those of the sample images available in the company’s database. For accurate results, make sure you use an advanced biometric scanner that is equally effective even when there’s not enough light.
- Iris/Eye Scan: An iris scanner works by illuminating the subject’s eyes with a light and captures an image of his/her iris. In the next step, the scanner compares the patterns of the muscles forming the iris with those available in the database.
- Fingerprint Scan: Most biometric devices use this marker for identifying people. Fingerprint scanning involves the analysis of the patterns of the ridges on the surface of the subject’s fingers. During the scan, the light emitted by the machine illuminates the subject’s fingertips and a camera takes pictures of the highlighted valleys and ridges.
Biometric Time Clock Systems Vs Traditional Timekeeping Methods
Most organisations operating currently are choosing biometric time clock systems over traditional methods of timekeeping. There’s no denying the fact that traditional timekeeping methods are easier to implement as they don’t involve the installation of any component. However, it seems that simplicity is the only benefit those methods offer.
When using traditional timeclocks for attendance monitoring, the person responsible for timekeeping needs to note down the time of ingress and egress of every employee in a register. As the process is manual, it’s prone to manipulation and errors.
If your company uses traditional techniques for attendance monitoring, there may be times when the person responsible for the job fails to note the exact time of ingress/egress. However, the biggest problem with these manual techniques is that they make manipulating records extremely easy.
Biometric attendance monitoring brings an end to such manipulation. Biometrics such as facial features, iris, fingerprints, etc. are always unique, i.e., no two individuals can have similar metrics. So, even the best efforts from dishonest employees will not be enough to fake those metrics.
With a biometric attendance machine installed in your office, none of your employees will be able to register proxy attendance for another person. Tampering is also impossible as these systems remain connected to the company’s database.
Final Words
Are you still wondering whether you should switch to biometric time clock systems ditching the traditional techniques? Don’t hesitate; instead, make the change quickly. It will not only make your employees more productive but will also help you save time and money by eliminating the need for manual labour and stationeries.