September 30, 2013 – by Peter B. Counter
Biometric time and attendance solutions are nothing new. Multi-factor fingerprint and hand recognition solutions are measuring staff work hours all across the globe. This saves on efficiency and fosters an honest attitude of time measuring, preventing late or absent staff from being signed in by clever co-workers. Biometric time and attendance is quick, accurate, secure and efficient, but as we march into Autumn months and we slowly approach the dreaded flu season, the usual paranoia that a serious virus could put workers out of commission starts to rear its stuffed-up head.
Hand and finger biometric attendance terminals do come with safeguards against viral and bacterial outbreaks – building hand plates out of antimicrobial materials for instance – but the one thing that can’t be prevented is the human imagination’s tendency to run wild with hypochondria. Long held beliefs that touching any surface that others have touched with possibly flu-carrying hands are sure to raise concern in regards to the safety of punching in for work by laying down a biometric.
Thankfully, a number of contactless biometrics can kill this fear at its root. Acroprint’s timQplus FaceVerify is an example: a workforce management solution that leverages facial recognition as a means of signing workers in and out. Employees only need to look at the attendance terminal in order to punch in for work, meaning no-contact and therefore no worry on any end of the transaction.
Other contactless means of biometric work management can help keep a staff healthy and worry free without compromising security as well. Palm-vein and iris biometrics are being used at educational institutions across America for physical access and student attendance tracking, and though it is a little while off from massive deployment (waiting for NFC capable phones to take off), smartphone-as-credential technology will soon be bringing a healthy BYOD solution to the table as well.
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