What is biometric time and attendance?

Biometric time and attendance solutions exist to keep track of who is where and when they’re there.

In its most basic form, time and attendance tracking is a schedule, in which workers, volunteers, or students write down entry and exit times so that they can be logged. A slight step up from that rudimentary system, you will find punch cards, or shared digital spreadsheets. But all of these systems have a critical flaw: they can’t prove you are who you say you are. Truants can have a friend sign in for them or punch their card—a fraudulent practice termed buddy-punching—and effectively steal time from employers or falsely claim hours of work they otherwise spent elsewhere.

Enter biometrics. With a biometric time and attendance system, there is no disputing who is signing in for duty. A scanned finger, iris, face, or other biometric modality ensures accurate payroll, efficient records keeping, and can even keep track of certain work related tasks, like what cash register a sales associate uses. When arriving for work, an employee signs in by submitting a biometric—an act only they can do—and scans out of work on breaks and when the shift is over. The result is a more accountable workforce, cleaner records, and a stronger bottom line.