Almost any organization experiences one of the main problems with the personnel policy - personnel discipline. It is particularly relevant for large companies. Here are several unpleasant consequences that this problem leads to. First of all, these are quite tangible hidden costs due to insufficient production of goods and services, foregone turnover, loss of important customers, and other losses from the irrational use of working time by employees. Let's say an employee takes 15-20 extra minutes every day to be late, protract a lunch break, have smoke breaks, go home early, and other things. Shouldn't be too hard to calculate that eventually it all takes an entire working day from one working month. In reality, people spend much more working time on personal needs: up to 35%. 

What is more, if due to the absence of an employee in the workplace, it is not possible to start customer service on time, this can cause dissatisfaction of the latter, leading to loss of goodwill of the company and brand. Speaking of production, an employee's being late can even break the chain of the production process. There are also industries in which it is important for management to know exactly which staff is currently on site for operational planning of the day – for example, in the police. The most promising solution of this problem in the technological area is biometrics.

Statistics and Forecasts for the Growth of the Biometrics Market

Biometric time tracking systems are most in demand in organizations with an hourly wage: in the service sector (24.3%), retail (23.0%), manufacturing (19%), medicine (7.8%). 

According to forecasts of various analytical companies, the global biometrics market will grow rapidly. BCC Research reports that in 2018, its volume was $23.4 billion. By 2024 it will grow as much as $71.6 billion. According to analysts, the average annual rate from 2020 to 2024 will remain at 23.2 %. The Memoori analytical agency publishes other figures: in 2019 it is $8 billion, and by 2024 it will reach $12 billion, which is an increase of 8.2%. Analysts at ResearchAndMarkets are reasoning about biometric technology sales of $17.28 billion in 2018. They predict increase of spending on related products about 18% annually, resulting in $17.28 billion by 2027. 

In any case, world experts unanimously say that the market of equipment and software for biometrics "is on the rise and will remain so in the future".

Biometric Technologies. Ways to Use Them for Tracking Working Time. Cases

Face Recognition System 

It works via a face identification device that allows you to see which people enter the room. It is a comprehensive access control system that integrates into the company's existing security infrastructure. Authentication takes less than 0.2 seconds, which allows employees to pass through the turnstile without stopping, saving their own and the HR department's time. This technology eliminates costs for plastic cards. The system minimizes the risk of unauthorized access to the object, eliminates the possibility of exchanging key cards, and uses anti-spoofing for verification. Advanced modern facial recognition devices can identify a face in a medical mask and measure temperature. The ecosystem includes office management software and a mobile application. In retail, it can be integrated with a contactless payment solution with advanced analytics. 

In tracking of working time: contactless facial recognition technology allows an employer to see how the employee manages working hours in real time. The employer will be able to automate this control, make timesheets, save on wages. It is relevant in retail, in companies that hire a great number of seasonal or temporary workers.

O.Vision entry system based on face recognition

Fingerprint Scanner 

Coming at work, an employee puts the finger to the biometric sensor that scans the fingerprint in one touch. One cannot fake it or clock in for a colleague. The program instantly records the coming and going of an employee. It can upload data to a ERP system available for integration. The program can send the data to a mobile application, warn a manager via e-mail or SMS. Integration with door locks, passageways, turnstiles with access rights differentiation is also available.

Such systems can calculate working hours, tardiness, early departures and create reports. They can centrally receive real-time data from all distributed outlets or offices; set schedules, shifts and even calculate wages that can be more accurate. As a result, the employer pays only for the actual time worked, saving up to 31% on salary.

In tracking of working time: a scanner without a terminal can be connected to a computer at the reception, in the office. A scanner with a terminal does not need connection to a computer – it is independently installed in the trading floor, in a warehouse, in the factory workshop (there are devices that recognize "difficult" prints – dirty, wet, rough).

Interface of the Russian BioTime fingerprint system

Case. The Russian network of clinics "MedCentrServis" has installed a BioTime biometric system to record working hours and control access in 14 departments. Technical equipment included terminals with a fingerprint scanner and contactless card reader, specially designed for companies with a large number of divisions. Head office server receives data about the working hours from all clinics in the network. There is integration with a ERP system for staff management. Its implementation helped to optimize the working time of the staff, eliminate inaccuracies and time losses during manual introduction, and reduce costs.

Iris Scanner

It is a biometric device operating indoors for identity authentication by the iris of the eye. The scanner is a fast and accurate computer with an LCD touch screen, two cameras with automatic tilt to detect the face and iris, a built-in proximity card reader, oral and visual instructions for a user in several languages. Can be equipped with an infrared thermal sensor. The iris is the most accurate human identifier after DNA. There are also retinal scanners.

In tracking of working time: used in companies with a high level of security – secret enterprises, government agencies, money management systems. It eliminates an access error with a 100% guarantee.

EyeLock solution for identity authentication by iris

Case. American luxury hotel companies - Hilton, Hyatt and Loews were looking for a way to enhance the identity authentication protocol in their financial management systems. Employers used to give each other cards and shared passwords. As a result, it was impossible to keep track of monetary losses. The EyeLock technology of identity authentication by the iris of the eye allowed to completely eliminate the problem and track every cash transaction of an employee.

Scanner of Vein Patterns or Hand Geometry 

The device scans the individual structure of the venous vessels pattern under the skin on the palm in multispectral infrared light. Mathematical algorithms convert the pattern into a digital code and pack it into an encrypted template-file. The latter is only 2Kb in size, which is compared to the database templates for individual identification. The vein pattern cannot be faked to deceive the scanner, even if it is a photo or a silicone impression.

In tracking of working time:  a suitable option for industrial enterprises, healthcare, construction industry. This is because the surface condition of the hands does not matter – vein scanner accurately recognizes human hands with cuts and calluses, dirty or wet and even in a thin medical glove.

Terminal with BioSmart palm vein reader 

Voice Recognition

Voice biometrics is based on the fact that the acoustic features of the voice differ from person to person. Can be applied at a distance. The digitized voice is compared to a previously recorded template. 

In tracking of working time: the technology is convenient because it can be implemented both on a PC and in a smartphone. 

VeeaR solutions from the Fortebit company to embed functions of speech recognition and playback in mobile applications

Conclusion

Tracking of working time using biometric technologies helps the company management to protect business from unreasonable overpayments of wages to employees and to ensure maximum security. Various biometric devices and software allow you to automatically control the hours worked, record the coming and going time of the staff, make shift work schedule, monitor attendance in real time and much more.

The systems centrally support time tracking on a variety of remote objects. They integrate with ERP systems and are cross-platform. The biometrics market is actively growing. The range of scanners and terminals is already quite wide - this makes is possible to choose your suitable and cost-effective option for organizations of any scale and field of activity.