Volume 8
sues. Mechanical time clocks — in use since the
1800s — and even more modern electronic clocks
using magnetic stripe or proximity cards are open
to a process known as ‘buddy punching.’
That’s a scheme in which an employee clocks in
and/or out for a friend who may be late or not even
at work.
Mechanical systems are also slow, potentially leading to long queues during shift changes resulting in
wasted time and lost productivity. Mechanical cards
also need to be keystroked into the payroll system,
requiring significant back office time for data entry.
Electronic cards can be shared. They may also be
lost or stolen, costing additional time and money in
back office expense.
Even small errors in collecting and processing employee time and attendance can add substantially
to the cost of payroll, already a major expense for
any organization.
Studies by a leading international human resources consulting firm have shown even small payroll
errors and fraud can boost operating costs by up to
10 percent.
Fraud, delays and lost credentials can be largely eliminated
by a biometric solution
Oct/Nov 2016 Edition
(Learn More, courtesy of Iris ID and YouTube)
Iris Recognition Advantages
The structural formation of the human iris (the visible coloured ring around the pupil), is fixed from
the first year of life and remains constant.
And few people can’t use the technology, as most
individuals have at least one eye. Even blind people have successfully used iris recognition.
At employee enrollment, iris systems utilize an
industry-standard camera to capture an image of
the iris.
Software converts that to a small template stored
in a terminal database. Authentication requires
employees to stand roughly 18 inches from an
iris reader and the process takes about two seconds. With multiple readers installed, long lines
are eliminated.
Also eliminated is fraud. Since every user’s iris is
unique and required to be present at the reader,
time fraud schemes are virtually impossible.
The system can also prevent another type of
back-office time fraud known as “ghost employees” – non-existent people added to the payroll.
Security is also enhanced. The digital templates
can’t be used to produce any sort of visual image,
affording a high-level of defense against employee identity theft.
An iris recognition system can also grant facility
access as employee’s clock in for work.
Biometric Time and Attendance Solution
But fraud, delays and lost credentials can be largely eliminated by a biometric solution.
Common biometric systems involve hand or fingerprint readers, facial identification or iris recognition.
Each technology records and then compares physical characteristics unique to every individual.
However, changes in weight, hairstyle, finger or
hand size, cuts or even the effects of manual labor
can trigger the need for re-enrollment – in all except iris-based solutions.
(Security is a prime concern at CERN’s Large Hadron Col-
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