6 min read How a Biometric Time Clock Can Protect Your Business
When it comes to tracking time and attendance of your employees, there are a wide number of time clock options. These time clocks allow your employees to “clock in” for their shift and then “clock out” for breaks, lunch and for the end of the day. Keeping accurate timekeeping records are crucial for any business. These records not only tell you how many hours an employee has worked, but also can protect you against potential payroll audits and lawsuits.
The Problem with Punch Card Time Clocks
If you’re still using a punch card time clock for your business, it’s definitely time to upgrade! This archaic system no longer works in today’s modern business age and have resulted in an increase of wage and labor lawsuits amongst businesses that remain exposed while using paper time cards.
Employees have found loopholes around punching in, using fellow co-workers to clock in for them at specific times despite not even being present. Time card fraud is prevalent with punch card clock systems and has been since its inception. Employees can have others clock in and out for them or provide employers with inaccurate work times to get paid overtime they never really worked for.
There can also be discrepancies with manually logging in attendance data from paper time sheets. This method requires someone else to retype all the data into an electronic payroll system. Here, the person entering the data can easily change the numbers by accident resulting in inaccurate reporting. This sort of system is also easily prone to mistakes and typos, since handwritten time sheets can sometimes be hard to understand.
Human error is also a top concern with these old school timekeeping systems and upgrading to a time tracking software can advance the way you keep time of your employees work hours and attendance.
New Time Clock Options For Businesses
While the punch card system and sign-in sheets were the preferred way to clock in and out for a number of years in the workforce, new technology has made it possible for more advanced time clock systems. There are web-based time and attendance clocks, biometric time clocks, proximity-based clocks, card swipe options, key code devices and mobile time and attendance clocks.
While all of the various options have their own pros and cons to them, many businesses are now converting their time keeping systems to ones that include biometric technology.
What Are Biometric Time Clocks?
With biometric time clocks, you’ll be able to eliminate any payroll system glitches that often occur with older time clock methods, in addition to stabilizing your company’s payroll process. These new biometric time clocks use some of the leading technology that’s available today in terms of attendance and time software. Not only are they highly accurate, but they are also immune to various errors that happen with older timekeeping methods.
Biometric time clocks have the capacity to identify employees based on their unique traits like fingerprints or face recognition. These specialized clocking terminals utilize detailed measurements of a person’s fingerprints or face as a way to verify and identify the individual employee as they clock into and out of work. No other employee would be able to clock in for them given they can’t succeed without the face of the employee they’re trying to help.
And as we all know, no two fingerprints or faces are ever the same! Employees are required to be physically present at the office or job site to record their time worked. So the “buddy system” associated with time card fraud is eliminated and no longer becomes a valid concern for employers.
These time clocks work by comparing the fingerprints or faces of the employee clocking in or out. When there is a specific match, the individual is then able to record their time efficiently and accurately. This data will then be recorded in a digital database that can be easily transferred over to your company’s payroll department.
The Benefits Of Biometric Time Clocks
There are a number of benefits and reasons why you should use biometric time clocks for your business. Here are some of the biggest benefits many companies are utilizing biometric time clocks for their employees:
1. Better timekeeping accuracy
In today’s business climate, there’s no room for mistakes. That’s why numerous employers prefer biometric time clocks because it provides them with more accurate timekeeping abilities than older punch card systems, which can also include sign-in sheets and phone calls.No time theft among employees
2. No time theft among employees
You’ll be able to prevent financial loss due to time theft among employees. Typically, employees tend to waste a minimum of about 20 minutes each workday, which can really add up and be costly over time. And that’s the minimum! However, biometric time clocks will eliminate time theft so that you don’t have to pay out more money to employees for hours not really worked. You’ll also be able to calculate lost time to see how it ultimately affects your company’s bottom line.
3. Biometric time clocks are great for remote employees
If you employ remote employees, you’ll find that biometric time clocks are very beneficial at keeping track of their time. Because biometrics can be integrated with mobile devices, you’ll be able to monitor your company’s employees wherever they are working from!
Biometric Time Clock Privacy Concerns
One of the biggest reasons why employees would at first be weary about the new time and attendance system such as one based on biometrics is privacy. However, fingerprint and face recording technology can’t be used for anything else other than tracking and recording time.
Many states have passed Biometric Information Privacy Acts (BIPA), which is a set of rules for the disclosure, protection and retention of biometric data. States like Illinois, Texas and Washington have already passed such laws. Even if your state doesn’t have any BIPA laws in effect yet, it’s still helpful to initiate compliance methods into your company.
How A Biometric Time Clock Can Protect Your Business from Wage And Labor Lawsuits
As an employer, your risk for lawsuits have never been greater when it comes to wage and labor issues. There has been an increase in recent years in federal court filings of wage and hour lawsuits and installing a biometric time clock can protect your business from potential threats. The accuracy of data a biometric clock provides will safeguard your business since it’ll keep you in compliance with wage and hour laws. You’ll be able to prevent unpaid overtime and be in compliance with labor laws in your state.
One such violation a biometric time clock can help prevent is meal break ones, which vary from state to state. This can make it difficult if you have various locations that operate across many states. Biometric clocks provide you with better visibility into meal break activity to prevent any violations from happening.
When it comes to being confident in your recordkeeping, you’ll need a trusted system that has proven to work. No matter how large your workforce is it’s imperative that you take employment laws seriously. After all, it only takes one employee to issue a wage and hour lawsuit that can greatly impact your company’s ability to stay in business. Why risk your business with inadequate record keeping ways? The data provided by a biometric time clock will protect you in the case of an audit since you’ll have accurate reports of all employee hours worked, employee attendance and more.
How ClockInEasy Can Help
If you’re ready to upgrade your timekeeping system for employees, ClockInEasy can help! You’ll be able to effortlessly manage your company’s employees and their time and attendance on our web and mobile application. Our platform incorporates biometric capabilities, specifically face recognition and GPS location, to deliver secure and accurate timesheets for employees at any location! Each time an employee uses the app, the system will create an instant timesheet report. A picture must be taken to clock in and out, which will then be matched to photo on record in the system. The employee’s GPS location is also recorded at clock in and out to ensure that they are working at the correct location.
Utilizing ClockInEasy’s solution, companies can better protect themselves from labor and wage lawsuits because they have the employee’s face, location and full hours worked – all safely saved within the app.
Summary
A biometric time clock is an accurate and reliable solution when it comes to time and attendance record keeping for your employees. It not only safeguards against time fraud, but can also protect you from wage and labor lawsuits.
