Biometric time clocks are one of the most popular time collection methods for companies with distributed or hourly workforces. Since they rely on biological data to record time, biometric time clocks eliminate the ability for one employee to clock another in or out, also known as “buddy punching” (a common form of time theft).
Biometric time clocks are one of the most popular time collection methods for companies with distributed or hourly workforces. Since they rely on biological data to record time, biometric time clocks eliminate the ability for one employee to clock another in or out, also known as “buddy punching” (a common form of time theft). If used properly, biometric time clocks can help streamline payroll processing and even reduce labor costs by ensuring employees are only paid for the exact hours they have worked.
However, it’s not uncommon for employees to ask questions about having their fingerprint information captured. Given the benefits, it’s important to address employee questions and concerns early in the process in order for the solution to operate to its fullest capacity. Informing employees about how biometric time clocks work helps eliminate user errors and resistance down the line.
To ease potential concerns, we’ve addressed the most frequently asked questions regarding our WalTer T6 and T11 biometric time clocks, below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How secure is employee data?
A. EPAY Systems invests heavily in resources to ensure our data security and infrastructure exceed industry best practices. Data collected from WalTer T6 and T11 time clocks is hosted on a private cloud. Our dedicated servers are hosted at top tier SaaS 70 Type II, SSAE Certified data centers. All data collected on our time clocks is encrypted using Triple-DES and 128-bit encryption technologies.
Q. Is employee information shared with any government agencies or third parties?
A. Employee information is NOT shared with any agencies or third parties. The information is used solely for payroll purposes.
Q. Is employee personal information shared with the server?
A. Employee personal information, such as fingerprint images, is NOT shared with or sent to the server. WalTer T6 and T11 time clocks do NOT capture and store actual fingerprint images; instead, they capture and store a mathematical representation of fingerprint data points. This mathematical representation is called a “minutia”.
Q. How do WalTer biometric time clocks work?
- When an employee places his/her finger on the fingerprint reader, the system captures a scan of the fingerprint.
- The system then creates the minutia (mathematical representation), which summarizes the fingerprint information using binary code.
- Next, the system destroys the fingerprint image.
- Finally, the minutia file is stored in the system for fingerprint matching (though a fingerprint cannot be recreated from the minutia). The next time the employee clocks in, the system compares the earlier stored file with the newly created minutia, which is created from the most recent fingerprint image and then immediately destroyed.
Q. What happens if an employee clocks in and his/her fingerprint doesn’t match?
If the employee’s fingerprint doesn’t match when he or she clocks in or out, the system will prompt the employee to try again. After a pre-determined number of failed attempts, the system allows the employee to clock-in anyway and notifies the employee’s assigned supervisor that their fingerprint did not match. The supervisor will then be prompted to approve the mismatch.
For more information on WalTer T6 or T11 biometric time clocks, contact your Client Relationship Director or call EPAY Technical Support at 312-212-8000 ext. 2.