In a nutshell, biometrics work by measuring a person's unique physical characteristics…creating a coded record (or "print") of the results…and then measuring that record against those in the employer's existing database. When a match is found, a person's identity is authenticated. 

Biometric time clocks ensure the person punching the time clock is truly who he says he is, a perennial challenge in employee time and attendance tracking. Biometric time tracking prevents employee time theft, ensures labor compliance, and helps employers collect accurate time and attendance data—all which make life easier for those in HR.   

Biometric methodologies

While there are a number of ways to measure the qualities that make us unique individuals, these two methodologies are used most often in the time and attendance market:    

• Fingerprint Verification - Fingerprint recognition is the most common biometric time clock technology. As the name implies, it involves measuring and comparing employee fingerprints against data stored in the system. It's fast and easy: the employee simply presses a fingertip against the time clock screen for a moment as part of the punch in/punch out process.     

• Facial Recognition - Facial biometrics involve measuring/matching unique facial characteristics, such as the shape of the jaw and the distance between the eyes. Time clocks that use facial recognition are growing in popularity, especially when workers are engaged in manual labor, which can compromise the readability of fingerprint images. It's as simple as snapping a photo; the time clocks are equipped with HD cameras. The technology is available on some mobile time tracking apps for smartphones, too.   

Other biometric methods include hand geometry recognition, retinal and iris scanning, and voice or speaker recognition. While used for other purposes (for example, voice recognition is employed by the financial industry in conjunction with private client telephone banking), they are rarely found in time and attendance systems.   

While most biometric time and attendance systems rely on photographic images, it should be noted that they don't store these images directly. Rather, the software turns each image into a mathematical code, destroys the image and uses the stored code to verify identity.

Does it take employees longer to clock in or out biometrically? No. Once employees' data is in the system (i.e., fingerprints or facial images are uploaded to the database—a simple, one-time process), scanning a fingerprint or facial image is as fast as swiping a card or entering a PIN.

The HR benefits of biometric time and attendance

There are a number of reasons employers are turning to biometric time and attendance systems in growing numbers. The primary reason is to control employee time theft, which costs employers billions each year.  

While there are several forms of time theft, buddy punching—when one employee punches in or out for another at the time clock—is the hardest to prevent. For example, when time clocks are based on punch cards, swipe cards or PINs, creative buddy punchers can easily outsmart them—it's as easy as handing off your card or code to a pal.  

According to Nucleus Research, 74 percent of employer's experience payroll losses averaging 2.2 percent of gross payroll due to buddy punching. In survey after survey, hourly employees have anonymously admitted to engaging in buddy punching.   

For example, 23 percent of hourly workers admitted to buddy punching in a survey by Software Advice. However, while that group professed to routinely outwitting paper timesheets and conventional time clocks, only 3 percent said they were able to trick a biometric time clock.

Furthermore, biometric time clocks help ensure employers pay employees accurately. Wage and hour lawsuits cost employers upward of $400 million in settlements every year. Biometric time and attendance systems ensure that employees are clocked in and out accurately—there's no room for human error, whether accidental or intentional.

In addition, most of these systems create a documented audit trail that can prove the employer's case in the event of a trial—while providing useful analytics employers can use to manage their workforce more efficiently. It's not just a boon for HR, but the entire organization.

In summary, for companies in competitive industries, or those that operate on lean margins, biometric time and attendance systems can improve the bottom line. For all these reasons, the use of biometrics is no futuristic dream, but a practical HR tool that is helping businesses thrive.