Debunking Biometric Time Clock Myths

Article written by Allied Time

Biometric time clocks benefit employers by providing an accurate and tamper-proof way to track their employees’ time. But many companies are hesitant to upgrade from traditional timekeeping devices to the latest wave of timeclock technology. In some cases, this is because they think what they current have works for them; in other instances, they are uncertain about the specifics of biometric time clocks.

It can sometimes be tough to separate fact from fiction when it comes to how biometric time clocks work. To help ease some of the concerns that business owners might have, let’s take a look at the truth behind some persistent myths relating to biometric clocks:

Myth: Employers will have to keep records of full fingerprints. I don’t want to deal with the security risks this can bring.

Fact: When an employee scans their fingerprint into a biometric time reader such as the Acroprint BioTouch, the machine reads the key identifying points of the fingerprint — such as swoops or dips — and converts this into an algorithmic pattern. Any time the employee’s fingerprint is scanned in the future, the comparison is made to the “0s and 1s” in the binary algorithm. The machine doesn’t compare fingerprints to a database.

Myth: Government agencies can use the fingerprint information that is stored by my employer.

Fact: Because the actual fingerprints aren’t stored — just a binary representation of them — this information can’t be used to compare fingerprints with those in a database of physical prints such as the FBI database.

Myth: Biometric time clocks are health risks. I don’t want my employees to get sick and miss work because of our time clocks.

Fact: The technologies used in biometric time clocks — whether they scan fingerprints, hands or faces — are proven to pose no health risks. They also do not serve a significant threat for the spread of germs if proper cleaning and hygiene steps are used.

Myth: Biometric machines take a long time to run. My employees will be spending too much time waiting to clock in or clock out.

Fact: Employees can clock in and clock out very fast by using the latest wave of biometric machines. if you are using a fingerprint scanning device, it only compares the key “points” of a person’s prints against a small sample of previously-stored data. This means that the process is much faster than, as an example, a crime database that cross checks against a large number of full prints.

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Article written by Allied Time. Find the latest time clock technology including a wide range of Acroprint time recorder models at the Allied Time web store