When we were young, we would be amazed watching sci-fi movies and shows, where characters would access hidden rooms and offices via iris scans and face scans. It seemed so out-of-this-world then. Fast forward to the present day and we have biometrics!
Biometrics technology has become an integral part of our everyday life and is ever expanding. When it comes to workforce security, organizations are increasingly relying on biometric technology such as facial recognition, fingerprints and iris scans. A large number of organizations use biometrics for data security and access privileges. With the number of devices and platforms being connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) increasing every day, it is safe to say that biometrics is definitely a robust and better form of security to safeguard these devices and sensitive information.
Types of Biometrics Authentication:
Single-factor authentication:
This is the simplest form of biometrics where only one thing is required for the verification process. A popular example of this is using a password for an account.
Two-factor authentication:
In this method, along with the basic password/username authentication, you need to provide a second proof to confirm you are who you say you are. For instance, by using a code sent to your phone (which is paired to your account), along with your password.
Multi-factor authentication:
Multi-factor authentication requires you to confirm multiple parameters to verify the identity. These are usually a combination of passwords and body scans (such as iris scans, fingerprints) or a combination of facial recognition and fingerprint scans.
Multi-factor biometrics in workforce:
Workforce Tracking with Biometric Devices
Biometric workforce management or time and attendance systems are increasingly becoming popular these days among organizations. After years of manually tracking employees’ attendance, most organizations have realized the value of time collection devices utilizing biometrics which record employees’ in and out times by identifying them based on their biometric match. Data collected this way are accurate and offer rich insights.
The benefits of using biometric technology is the elimination of typical problems associated with the manual clocking systems. Four main reasons why employers use biometrics to track time and attendance are:
- Eliminate buddy punching: Buddy punching is the practice of punching for another employee (in and out), when that employee isn’t in. Buddy punching is one of the many forms of time theft and biometrics is crucial for any organization if they wish to eradicate this practice. With multi-factor biometric technology, employees cannot punch in for their colleagues who are not in office.
- Record payment information: Implementation of biometric technology also helps employers maintain a record of their payment schedule and thus they can provide proof of payment should any of the employees submit a faulty wage case.
- Increase efficiency: By using an automated system which tracks time and attendance and is integrated with payroll, organizations can vastly improve their internal efficiency and cut back on the time it takes to process their payroll.
- Provide employees with additional benefits: Not many employees may recognize this, but biometric technology actually benefits them too. With biometrics, payroll is processed faster, which means employees get paid quickly and correctly, and they need not worry about getting paid less.
Most employees haven’t yet warmed up to the idea of sharing private data with their companies. They may even refuse to allow their firms to collect, scan or obtain their biometric data. To avoid such situations and ensure employee buy-in, employers need to train and educate their employees about how biometric scans are documented as a binary data stream and not an actual fingerprint image is required for skeptical employees. Once suitably educated, employees will find it easy to punch in.
In Conclusion:
New and innovative technology such as the biometric fingerprint scanner to track employee hours is the way to go and they will only get better and more advanced with time. Every system has its challenges but overall, the agreement among businesses using biometric systems is that the advantages of the technology outweigh the disadvantages.