(650) 332-8623The 6 Best Biometric Time Clocks for 2024
Looking for a biometric time clock for your construction business? We’ve reviewed 6 of the best apps on the market to help you choose!
Biometric time clocks require employees to log in and out of work using facial or fingerprint recognition technology. Many companies use them to monitor their employees’ arrivals and departures, with varying levels of success.
Employers use biometric time clocks to eliminate buddy punching and time theft. In other cases, they want to ensure accurate pay for absent or late employees, so they only get paid for hours they worked or completed.
Biometric time clocks can benefit your employees and business by providing convenience and security. But are any of them suitable for your construction business?
In this article, we’ll discuss the best options for biometric time clocks, their features, pros and cons, and alternatives to consider.
Top Picks
Below, you’ll find a summary of each app we’ve reviewed, with our scores, each app’s ideal use cases, its pricing, the availability of any free trials or free tiers, and the platforms on which the app is available. Each app has been thoroughly investigated and analyzed for users like you, with pros and cons, key features, integrations, and real user reviews.
Let’s take a look…
9.2 
14-day free trial, (no card needed)
8.0
14-day free trial with no credit card required
8.3
14-day free trial with no credit card required
7.7
15-day trial with no credit card required
7.7 
One-time purchase only
7.8
One-time purchase only
EDITOR’S NOTE: We created Workyard – the first app reviewed here – to address issues we encountered while struggling to track and manage construction payrolls for over 700 workers in over 50 construction businesses. We built the Workyard app from the ground up to support construction companies like yours, with industry-essential features like the industry’s most accurate time clock app with GPS and geofencing, intuitive contractor scheduling, construction cost tracking tools, and more.
Learn more about how Workyard works on our main website, or sign up for a 14-day free trial today to see what Workyard can do for your business.
Workyard
Scoring
Key Features
-
Drag-and-drop scheduling functionality
-
Real-time job dispatch and notifications
-
Live job progress tracking
-
Job updates with photos, notes, receipts, etc.
-
Time, project, and labor cost reporting
-
Seamless payroll integrations
Easy to set up and use
Responsive customer support
Robust features
Pricing may seem higher than similar apps
Some time required to familiarize with the app
Highlights
If you’re curious about the benefits of biometric time clocks but are concerned about potential legal implications, an online time clock app like Workyard might be a better fit for your construction business. It offers essential features of biometric time clocks and more, and you don’t need to worry about complex data privacy regulations.
Workyard Time Tracking
With the Workyard app, your employees can clock in with just one tap on the “Start Work” button. The app also uses geo-fencing technology to confirm their location. Once you set up your geofences, Workyard automatically logs them in when they arrive at the job site and logs them out when they leave.
You can also opt for supervisor clock-in. Set up your employees with admin or manager permissions to log other team members in simultaneously, simplifying and speeding up clock-ins for larger teams at job sites.
The Workyard app prevents early clock-ins, tracks meal breaks, mileage, and travel times, and even alerts you on late arrivals, helping you minimize labor leakage and improve employee attendance. When your employees use their own smartphones to clock in, it also eliminates buddy punching, much like biometric time clocks do.
Job Tracking
Workyard’s job tracking software lets you easily track employee hours, company resources, labor expenses, and job profitability. It monitors employee activity in the field with each of your jobs.
The Workyard dashboard shows all your active projects. You can view labor time and project costs in real time. You can filter activities by project and location, project group, customer, activity, team members, and task labels on the project activity feed.
Workyard also makes it convenient for your employees to share work progress from the field. They can update their tasks on the app and attach notes, photos, and receipts as proof of work or task completion.
Job Scheduling
Workyard also has a task and schedule calendar to help you check employee availability, assign tasks to the right people, and organize employee assignments more efficiently. With its drag-and-drop functionality, you can ensure no double bookings or overbookings and quickly dispatch job assignments to your entire team.
You can group tasks or assignments by employee or project and organize them using custom labels. Once you send your team the schedules and job information, they will receive them instantly via the Workyard App.
With access to their assignments and job locations on their mobile devices, your employees will always know where they’re supposed to be and what they should be doing.
Built-In Compliance
Certain regions impose strict regulations on collecting and storing biometric data, which could lead to legal complications if not managed properly. Businesses must ensure compliance with laws like the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) to avoid penalties.
Time clocks that rely on online clock-in and clock-outs, like Workyard, may have fewer regulatory hurdles to overcome.
Ensuring labor compliance is crucial for companies working in high-cost areas. For state-specific requirements, refer to our labor laws guides below:
- Texas Labor Laws
- Idaho Labor Laws
- Massachusetts Labor Laws
- Mississippi Labor Laws
- Kansas Labor Laws
- New York Labor Laws
Reviews
Workyard has earned solid scores from hundreds of reviews across three popular platforms. Its highest rating is 4.9 from Caperra, where many reviews come from admins, supervisors, and managers of businesses in various industries.
See some of the reviews below.
For iOS user Jeshua Pence, Workyard is a user-friendly app that simplifies clocking in and out. Correcting clock-in times is also easy.
iOS Review:
Very user friendly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The clock-in process is super simple. Correcting times in real time before the stamp makes it so much easier. Automatically detects the site when you arrive, so the app already has the right site readily available.”
Charles Settles also gave the Android app five stars for its user-friendliness and how you can be reminded to clock in if you don’t want to punch in just yet.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really like the Workyard app the time tracker is a user-friendly app. You can modify it if you forget to clock in or if you don’t want to clock in early but don’t want to forget to. You can easily change it to the time when you start, and it’ll automatically start for you. I think that feature is amazing and Workyard is an exceptional employer to work for. They found my dream job the first time out! Also, thanks to the developers behind the scenes keeping it running seamlessly!”
Joseph H., a superintendent and co-owner of a construction company, is happy with Workyard and its customer service, hence the five-star rating.
Capterra Review:
Happy customer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall, I’m pleased with the product and customer service and support. I like the ease of being able to track our employees’ time and accuracy of presence on a job. We are able to utilize the time clock feature so we can give an accurate accounting of billable time to our clients. A lot of our services are billed out by the hour rather than by the job.”
Pricing
Free Trial?
14-day trial with no credit card required
Time Tracking
Annual: $6 / month per user + $50 base fee
Monthly: $8 / month per user + $50 base fee
Workforce Management
Annual: $13 / month per user + $50 base fee
Monthly: $16 / month per user + $50 base fee
Track time to the minute, on site or in the field, with Workyard
See how it works
Clockit
Scoring
Key Features
-
Biometric time clock (facial recognition, fingerprint, and RFID)
-
Encrypted biometric attendance for user privacy and security
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Connects to wi-fi or ethernet
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Time and attendance data in real time from the dashboard
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Analytics and detailed timesheet reports
-
Integrations with HR and payroll systems
-
Supports 900+ biometric time clock models
User-friendly interface
Easy implementation
Can withstand rough use
May raise concerns about privacy and data security
Initial setup cost can be higher
Needs regular maintenance to stay effective and secure
Highlights
ClockIt is a time tracking and employee scheduling software solution offering biometric time clock systems to businesses that prefer physical hardware.
You can choose from 900+ industry-standard biometric time clock models, which will be integrated with ClockIt’s software.
ClockIt’s biometric time clock allows you to punch in using your fingerprint. Every employee can be registered with multiple fingerprints. Meanwhile, facial recognition is available in high-end biometric time clocks.
ClockIt also supports biometric time clocks with RFID cards and PINs.
ClockIt servers don’t synchronize with data from the biometric devices to ensure user security and privacy. User data are also encrypted when processed within the platform.
ClockIt provides biometric time tracking but lacks integration options like Contractor Foreman (read our full guide here: Contractor Foreman Review)
Reviews
ClockIt’s highest rating is on Capterra, which received an overall score of 4.5 from 97 reviews. Meanwhile, it earned a 3.7 score from 85 users of its Android app.
As of writing, there were no published ratings for ClockIt on the App Store.
iOs user Taylor.gringo2 gave it a one-star rating because of clock-in issues, resulting in resetting their phone each time.
iOS Review:
Terrible ⭐
“I try clocking in every morning, and the screen turns white and I have to reset my phone! Every time!”
It’s also a one-star rating for Android user baconbro, who can’t clock in or out, and the app restarts itself when taking a photo.
Google Play Review:
⭐
“Can’t even clock in or out anymore. It takes a picture and then restarts the app. Also, this app hasn’t been updated since October. That’s six months with no updates. Please fix this.”
Kimberly L. has a different experience. She gave Clock It five stars for its ease of use and simplicity of approving changes in employee punches.
Capterra Review:
Simple, Just what we were looking for ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Easy so our staff will use it. Also simple to approve changes when they have forgotten to check in/out. So far, I can’t find any problems with using this platform for our needs.”
Pricing
Free Trial?
14-day free trial with no credit card required
Pay Per User
$2.99 / user per month or $29.90 / user per year
Monthly Team Plans
$29 / month for up to 10 users
$49 / month for up to 20 users
$99 / month for up to 50 users
$199 / month for up to 100 users
Annual Team Plans
$290 / year for up to 10 users
$490 / year for up to 20 users
$990 / year for up to 50 users
$1,990 / year for up to 100 users
BuddyPunch
Scoring
Key Features
-
Flexible punch (face, QR, PIN, or username and password)
-
GPS for monitoring employee locations
-
Webcam images for every punch-in or punch-out
-
Real-time insights on employee time
-
Built-in timecard email notifications and alerts
-
Integration with payroll systems and third-party apps
Can limit punches to specific times or scheduled shifts
Device and IP address locking
Error logging
Manager permissions
Issues with hours not displaying correctly
Can be difficult to delete punches
Does not recognize punches sometimes
Highlights
As a time tracking tool, Buddy Punch makes tracking employee time easier and more secure with intuitive solutions such as facial recognition, four-digit PINs, QR code scanning, and username and password.
Its facial recognition technology logs biometric data with employee punches, which is suited for businesses requiring clear evidence of your employees’ punches.
The webcam automatically captures pictures of your employees when they punch in or out. You can view the images from their time cards on your time clock dashboard to verify the punch-in.
It works for web-based clock-ins and clock-outs on Firefox and Chrome web browsers. It can also be used on mobile devices, computers, or laptops with a camera.
Buddy Punch’s job tracking feature offers real-time insights into labor costs for different projects. For more tools, explore our job costing software.
Reviews
Buddy Punch has solid scores on the Play Store and Capterra, with scores of 4.7 and 4.8, respectively. Although Buddy Punch has a rating of 5 on the App Store, there are no published user reviews to share yet.
Trisha Rogers likes the app for tracking hours and its simple clock-in and clock-out functionality.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I love using the Buddy Punch app. It has really helped me out a lot with clocking in and out of work. Helps me to keep track of my work hours. I would recommend this app to anyone.”
Adriana L., a research company engineer, gave it five stars for its ease of use and multiple punch options. However, there was an instance when it didn’t correctly display her worked hours.
Capterra Review:
Easy to use⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Good system, but I wonder if approval to log in from several locations when users are restricted by IP address clock-in can be implemented. It has more than one way to clock in. The PIN option is easy to use and remember. But there was one time when the hours were not displayed correctly for me but correctly for my manager, which worried me.”
Pricing
Free Trial?
14-day free trial with no credit card required
Standard
$4.99 / user per month + $19 monthly base fee
Pro
$5.99 / user per month + $19 monthly base fee
Lathem
Scoring
Key Features
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Wi-Fi time clock with interactive touchscreen
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Quick fingerprint enrollment
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PayClock timesheet syncing
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Multiple methods for clocking in and out
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Multi-location and multi-user access
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Free mobile app for employees and managers
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Unlimited admin users
Available in offline mode
Secure and encrypted data
No setup fees
App crashes
Issues with recording punches
Errors when submitting time off requests
Highlights
Lathem Time designs and manufactures timekeeping products for businesses, including its biometric time clocks with proximity badge scanners, PIN entries, and fingerprint scanners able to read all fingerprint conditions ― moist, dry, or rough.
Fingerprint enrollment for your employees only takes a few seconds. Once the fingerprints are encrypted and sent to the biometric engine for verification, your employees can start scanning their fingerprints to punch in and out.
All created employee timestamps are synced with PayClock timesheets so you can quickly access essential data to prepare and run your payroll.
Employees, meanwhile, can use the touchscreen interface to punch in and out, check their total hours worked, read text messages, and listen to audio messages.
Reviews
There aren’t many published reviews for Lathem, although it did receive a few on the App Store and the Play Store, earning 2.2 and 2.9 ratings, respectively.
It received its highest rating on Capterra from 98 user reviews.
HSSCOKevin’s two-star rating is because of how valid punches aren’t sent to the server, causing missed punches for their team members.
iOS Review:
Misses punches ⭐⭐
“This app often does not send valid punches to the server. Supervisors of my field service techs are having to fix missed punches several times a week.”
But it’s a five-star rating for Charles LeFevre. The Android app is easier and more convenient than clocking in at a station.
Google Play Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“So much easier than clocking in at a station at work. Very convenient and easy to navigate.”
Jaqlyn M., an HR and finance manager at an automotive company, gave it four stars because it does the job.
Capterra Review:
Does what it needs to ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Overall, it does everything it needs to. Most everything is straightforward and simple. There are a few things I wish they would make more clear, simple, less “manual,” and less clunky. But, as far as the other options out there, it works and does what it needs to do. It’s a bit pricey. But having the option of employees being able to request time off, view their hours, view and manage their vacation/PTO time, etc. adds a lot of benefits.”
Pricing
Free Trial?
15-day trial with no credit card required
Standard
Starts at $35 / month for up to 10 users
Enterprise
Starts at $3 / user per month + $50 base fee
Pyramid
Scoring
Key Features
-
Time, date, and day display on backlit LCD screen
-
Supervisor-approved PIN entries
-
Up to 1,500 finger scans
-
Can be purchased with TimeTrax™ time and attendance software
-
Time card editing
-
Offline access to employee punches via time clock USB port
-
Automatic reset for Daylight Savings, February, and leap years
-
Internal battery backup for up to seven days
Expandable with upgrade packages and add-ons
Accurate employee punches
90-day free software support
Some challenges with initial employee setup
Removing employees could be more straightforward
Limited stored pay periods
Highlights
Pyramid Time Systems is another manufacturer of time clocks and timekeeping products for businesses, including biometric, manual, RFID, auto-totaling, and software-based time clocks.
Its biometric time clock system, the Elite Bio Biometric, automates your employee time and attendance system, instantly identifying employee fingerprints and recording their punches.
It can hold up to 1,500 finger scans and confirms every punch with an audible beep and card number screen display. It also resets automatically for short months, Daylight Savings Time, and leap years.
This biometric time clock can be purchased with the TimeTrax™ time and attendance software. The software can manage weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly pay periods and provides payroll reports that can be exported to most payroll systems.
Reviews
Reviews for this particular biometric time clock are scarce. But you can find some user reviews for its time clock products on Amazon. There are also a handful of reviews for its time clock software on Capterra.
Capterra Reviews:
Jerrica B., an IT manager for a retail company, gave it four stars for its simple design and the ease of doing payroll.
Great for small companies ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Very simple design with making employees clock in and out. The corrections to payroll are very easy in the system by the admins before finalizing. Overall, it was a great product we used for years to keep track of all the hours with no issues at all.”
Meanwhile, it’s a five-star rating for Jamie C., an office manager for an insurance company, because doing payroll is now a breeze.
Great time tracking product! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Since switching to this product, payroll has been a breeze. Before, we used a manual time clock, and I had to calculate the employees’ hours myself. Now, on payday, I log into the software and can easily see when everyone clocked in and out each day.”
Pricing
Free Trial?
No.
No Tiers
$654 (one-time purchase for time clock terminal)
Track time to the minute, on site or in the field, with Workyard
See how it works
Crown Security Products
Scoring
Key Features
-
Water- scratch- and dust-proof biometric time clock models
-
High-resolution LCD color screen
-
Optional Wi-Fi for some models
-
External bell connection
-
Early punch-in prevention
-
Time and attendance software
No monthly fees and subscriptions
Ready to use
Touchless accessories (RFID) as time clock additions
Time and attendance software not compatible with Mac
Limited features in Standard Edition software
Paid technical support and assistance
Highlights
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Crown Security Products offers different fingerprint time clock models to meet various businesses’ time and attendance requirements. Basic desktop biometric time clocks are specifically designed for smaller businesses, retail stores, and restaurants.
You can also opt for water, scratch, and dust-proof models, which can transfer data through USB flash drives, USB cables, or TCP/IP networks.
Crown Security Products also have more advanced, user-friendly models that look sleek and sophisticated when mounted on a wall.
All biometric time clocks have time attendance software to generate employee time and statistical reports. You can view who’s in, late, or absent from the work status dashboard and generate different time and attendance reports from the Reports Center.
Reviews
We could not find any published user reviews for Crown Security Products, although its website does have customer reviews and testimonials for its different biometric timeclock products.
For example, this review by Chef Apparel Direct shared how it offers products that are exactly what their business is looking for: no monthly service fees and smooth running once set up.
“It seems like it’s impossible to get software that comes with the product without the monthly fee service. This system offers just that, which is precisely what we were looking for. If you prefer software that has phone login and 24/7 customer service then you’re better off with the paid monthly fees. If you want to save on those costs then this is a great solution. So far, I’ve had no issues with the device or anything like that. Once it’s set up, it runs smoothly. Customer service is helpful during business hours and try their best to assist.”
Pricing
Free Trial?
One-time purchase only
Price
$429 to $879, depending on time clock model
Standard Edition Software
$89
Professional Edition Software
$249
Final Thoughts
Although biometric time clocks help eliminate buddy punching and time theft, some employees can view them as invasive and even unhygienic. Requiring them to place their fingertips on a biometric time clock before entering the workplace can put their health at risk, especially in these post-pandemic times.
If you don’t want to deal with most common biometric time clock-related problems, consider Workyard’s time clock app. Like biometric time clocks, the Workyard app accurately and securely tracks your employees’ hours. The difference is it eliminates the need to keep up with ever changing compliance and privacy laws.
It’s also a reliable and long-term option. When an employee clocks into Workyard, they simply tap the button on their smartphone to punch in, and it will capture the punch-in even if they have oily, wet, or dirty fingers.
Workyard also provides real-time GPS coordinates so you know exactly where and what they’re doing. You get all the benefits of a biometric time clock and more.
See why over 50,000 contractors trust Workyard’s GPS time clock, or try it for free today!
Our Scoring System Explained
Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.
We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:
The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.
How We Score Software
All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.
In general, the 0-10 range translates as:
- 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
- 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
- 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
- 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
- 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
- 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.
How We Calculate Overall Scores
The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:
- Ease of Use: 20%
- Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
- Scheduling Features: 15%
- Job Tracking: 15%
- Integrations: 10%
- Customer Support: 15%
- Company: 5%
Methodology for Each Factor
Ease of Use
We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:
- How easy is it to set up this app?
- How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
- How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?
These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.
Time Tracking Accuracy
Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…
- How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
- How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
- How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
- Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
- Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
- Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
- How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?
Scheduling Features
Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.
When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:
- Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
- Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
- Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
- Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
- Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.
Job Tracking
This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.
We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:
- Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
- Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
- Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
- Any built-in job costing views.
- Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)
Integrations
No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.
To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:
- How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
- How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
- Does it have robust data import and export features?
Customer Support
Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.
Customer support scores are calculated based on:
- Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
- Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
- The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
- What other users say about support in online reviews.
Company
A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.
When assessing this score, we’ll examine:
- Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
- Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
- Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
- Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
- Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
- Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).
Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!
It’s a device that tracks employees’ work hours and attendance using their unique physical characteristics. These systems identify individuals based on specific biological traits, eliminating the need for traditional methods like punch cards or key cards.
The main types of biometric time clocks include:
- Fingerprint scanners: These devices scan and match an employee’s fingerprint to clock them in or out.
- Palm scanners: Similar to fingerprint scanners, these devices analyze the unique patterns and geometry of an employee’s palm.
- Facial recognition systems: These use cameras and software to identify employees by their facial features.
- Iris scanners: These devices scan the unique patterns in an employee’s iris for identification.
- Hand geometry readers: These measure the size and shape of an employee’s hand without capturing fingerprints or palm prints.
Biometric time clocks are physical hardware devices that use biological traits like fingerprints or facial features to track employee attendance. As such, they are not typically available for free.
If you’re specifically interested in biometric time clocks, purchase hardware devices from manufacturers. Weigh the pros and cons, including accuracy, security, and potential legal considerations.
The process typically works as follows:
- Enrollment: Employees provide a sample of their biometric data (e.g., fingerprint, facial scan), securely stored in the system’s database.
- Authentication: When clocking in or out, employees present their biometric trait to the device (e.g., placing their finger on a scanner or facing a camera).
- Matching: The system compares the presented biometric sample with the stored data.
- Verification: The employee’s identity is verified if the sample matches the stored data.
- Time recording: The system records the employee’s clock-in or clock-out time in the database.
These biometric methods offer increased accuracy and security compared to traditional time-tracking systems. They are challenging to manipulate and require the physical presence of the employee. They also eliminate issues like buddy punching and lost ID cards, making them an increasingly popular choice for workforce management.
Biometric time clocks offer enhanced security and accuracy by using unique physical traits to verify attendance. This technology eliminates time theft, reduces payroll inaccuracies, and saves businesses from manually verifying timesheets. It also simplifies compliance by providing detailed records of employee hours. Because biometric clocks prevent shared logins, they foster accountability, making them ideal for companies seeking reliable timekeeping that’s difficult to manipulate.
Yes, biometric time clocks are generally safe for employee privacy when used responsibly. Most devices store biometric data as encrypted templates rather than actual images, making it challenging to recreate or misuse the information. Reputable biometric systems comply with data protection laws, like the GDPR, ensuring secure handling of biometric data. Before implementation, employers should inform employees about data storage practices, security measures, and obtain consent to address privacy concerns transparently.
Yes, some biometric time clocks are designed for mobile or remote employees. Certain systems use facial recognition through mobile apps, allowing employees to clock in from anywhere with their smartphone. GPS integration further enhances accountability by verifying the employee’s location during clock-in, making it ideal for businesses with field workers or remote teams. Choosing a biometric solution that offers both stationary and mobile options ensures flexibility for various work environments.
When selecting a biometric time clock, consider factors like biometric type (fingerprint, facial, or iris), integration capabilities with your payroll system, data security features, and user-friendliness. If your workforce includes remote or mobile employees, look for solutions with mobile compatibility. Additionally, ensure the device complies with privacy laws and offers encryption to protect employee data. Reviewing user feedback and checking for reliable customer support can help you choose a device that meets your business’s unique needs.
