Thinking about a fingerprint or facial scan time clock? Don't do it! (Unless you want to be in the privacy protection business!)
Clocking in with a fingerprint or a facial scan sounds great, right? It's easy, inexpensive (no more time cards!) and you can't cheat. But biometric time clock systems have plenty of downside, too:
1. They can get you sued if you don't follow data privacy laws to the letter. In 2022 in Illinois, companies using biometric time and attendance systems paid out more than $88 million in settlements when sued for violations of the state's biometric privacy law. In one current case, a fast-food restaurant chain could face as much as $17 billion in damages. Other states are considering or have adopted similar laws. Want to avoid the danger of a gigantic lawsuit? Use a TimePilot system: We don't use biometrics in our systems.
And we're not the only ones saying this. An attorney and privacy specialist told Bloomberg Law that "Even a small employer using a biometric time clock for say five years, has 10 employees, instead of looking at $10,000 in claims you could be looking at 1,000 times that over the course of five years. ... Because the multiples can add up so quickly, even relatively small companies can be looking at claims in the multi-millions of dollars.”
2. They're high-maintenance. Lotion, grease or dirt on a person's hand can smear a fingerprint sensor's glass, making it difficult for others to clock in or out. And let's not mention viruses and bacteria!
TimePilot has a better idea: iButtons
Each employee clocks in and out with an iButton: a key-sized device that fits on a keychain and contains a microchip with a unique ID number. The stainless steel button is rugged, unaffected by dirt or liquids and never wears out.
The result: No biometric headaches.
TimePilot has an iButton time clock for every need, with your choice of Cloud-based data or data kept on your server
Weatherproof TimePilot Extreme Blue Enhanced
Rugged, secure and battery-powered. Download data to your smartphone and send it on to your office!