Time and attendance software and devices can make easy work of the tedious task of monitoring staff. Tim Brown talks to solutions provider Kronos, about the benefits and how to allay any privacy fears associated with biometric data capture.
The Benefits
1. Control Labour Costs Employees are your most valuable asset — you see it reflected in the size of your labour budget. You get the most from this important resource when you automate time and attendance. Learn when an employee is late for work — in time to react.
Get a handle on time-off balances and timecard approval. Make sure the hours you approve were really worked. You need to be able to see the time and attendance trends and activities that could be costing you money. So you can control labour costs.
Employees are sure to tell you about underpayments, and large overpayments are easy to find and correct. But it’s the errors you don’t catch that can cost you — nearly three percent of your payroll.
2. Minimize Compliance Risk
The dreaded audit. If you can’t maintain compliance legislation, union regulations, and work and pay rules, an audit could be in your future. Not to mention time-consuming, costly, morale-busting employee grievances, complaints, and litigation. You need to be able to effectively manage your time and attendance policies.
3. Improve Workforce Productivity
In a business environment in which you’re being asked to do more with less, repetitive manual and administrative tasks strain your resources and slow day-to-day operations. You need to be able to optimize time and attendance and data collection and reduce the administrative burden on your managers. So you can improve worker productivity and strengthen your organization’s bottom line.
Tackling privacy concerns associated with Biometric data
Employees in some organizations are concerned about how the introduction of biometric technology might affect their privacy. The Kronos 4500 Touch ID finger-scanning option is specifically designed to safeguard that privacy.
No fingerprints captured or stored
Unlike Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (IAFIS) used by government agencies for forensic and law enforcement purposes, Kronos Touch ID technology does not store hard-copy fingerprint images. In fact, no images are stored at all with the Kronos system.
Instead, the Kronos 4500 terminal equipped with the Touch ID option scans the employee’s finger, then converts the fingerprint image into a mathematical representation, which it stores in an encrypted format. As a result, it’s practically impossible to reproduce the original image — a fact that greatly promotes the cause of employee privacy.
