What are Fingerprint Biometric Time Clocks?

A fingerprint biometric time clock, also often called a finger-scan time clock, is a tool for tracking and managing hourly wages. These biometric clocking systems work by using a finger-scan reader instead of a traditional pin or keycard system.

Often finger-scan based biometric clocks are misunderstood or confused with other distinct biometric identification systems. Unlike readers used in the IAFIS database (the database utilized by law enforcement) most biometric time clocks only use the fingerprint for the employee enrollment process- after this process is complete the fingerprint image is discarded. None of HR Compliance Team’s biometric time clocks store the fingerprint images of enrolled employees.

How Does a Fingerprint Time Clock Work?

When the system is set up, employees using the biometric system are enrolled by scanning their fingerprints. Using this scan, the system identifies sections of the fingerprint where ridges and grooves intersect or terminate. The product of this enrollment process is an employee’s biometric template. Once the biometric template has been created, the original scan of the employee’s fingerprint is discarded, and only the template is saved for future reference.

This enrollment process is detailed in the following diagram:

First, an employee’s fingerprint is scanned into the system.	Next, the system identifies intersections and terminations.	Finally, an employee’s unique biometric template is created.

When an employee uses a biometric time clock, their fingerprint is quickly scanned and cross-referenced with the biometric templates that are saved in the system. If there is a match between the fingerprint and the template, the system accurately identifies the employee and allows them to clock in or out. If there is not a match between the fingerprint and any template in the system, access to the time clock is denied.

How Easy are Fingerprint Time Clocks to Use?

Finger scanning time clocks are far faster and easier to use than traditional time clock systems. No special technical knowledge is required to operate a biometric time clock, which means that employees in any field with any level of technical prowess can quickly learn how to clock in and out with a biometric system.

In most configurations clocking in or out is as simple as pressing a single button and scanning an employee’s finger. Not having to remember and manually punch in credentials or swipe keycards expedites the punch-in process. This saves time and increases employee productivity while also preventing common errors that occur with traditional time clock systems.

HR Compliance Team’s biometric time clocks were designed to make them as simplistic as possible for employees. Overall, the amount of difficulty involved in using the biometric time clocks is very limited and the high configurability allows for businesses to customize the experience to cater to their needs.

How Secure are Biometric Time Clocks?

Biometric systems are far more secure than traditional pin or keycard systems. Inherently, a biometric system eliminates the possibility of clocking in or out for other employees by ensuring that employees are only able to punch in and out using their own fingerprints. If an employee would be behind schedule or absent, another employee can not fraudulently clock them in. This same technology prevents employees from swapping shifts without a supervisor’s approval and ensures accountability for employees arriving late or clocking out early.

HR Compliance Team’s biometric systems were designed with user privacy in mind. The technology utilized by these biometric systems cannot be used for any purposes other than time and attendance or access control. Fingerprint scans are discarded immediately after they are used for

employee enrollment, and biometric templates are anonymized and tied exclusively to employee reference numbers. No personal information is ever saved in the system, so there is no risk of sensitive information being compromised.

Your business can be certain that HR Compliance Team provides the highest level of privacy and security with its biometric time clock solutions.

How Can My Business Implement Fingerprint Time Clocks?

Biometric employee time management solutions like fingerprint time clocks are on the rise for many reasons; these specialized technologies help manage access, eliminate time theft, improve business security, and make clocking in fast and efficient. HR Compliance Team offers an array of configurations with extensive customization to make your biometric time clock implementation a perfect fit for your business. Learn more about HR Compliance Team’s biometric finger-scan terminals and how they integrate with the fully-featured ClockMANAGER Time & Attendance software suite

Should I buy or rent a fingerprint biometric time clock? This article can shed some light.