How Does My Payroll Software Work with Biometric Time and Attendance Systems?

Utilizing Biometric Time and Attendance Systems are a great way to make your payroll more accurate. Biometric Time and Attendance Systems are comprised of: a device – usually a biometric clock, software – to do calculations on time, and a database - to store the punches and calculations. 

Let’s start with the device – a biometric time clock can collect an ‘identifier’ to determine who is clocking in. There are various types of biometric clocks that utilize different identifiers that include: fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition, and hand geometry. And depending on your workspace, you may need a tough clock that is dirt and water-resistant for outdoor worksites. 

Next, we have the software and database components. As employees clock in and out with a biometric device, the punches will transfer to the database by using network wiring or wireless connectivity. Then the software looks at the punches and does calculations based on the rules you set up in software. The software can have all the different types of rules you establish in the software. The rules can include: how to round the punches (to schedule, to 15 minutes, etc.), exceptions (late in, early out, absent, etc.), break and meal tracking, time off approvals, missing punch notifications, and how to calculate overtime or double time, and so on. Once the time is accumulated and before payroll processing, you will want approval that the time is correct from the employee and/or manager. The software can then prepare the time into a file format for your payroll system to import and you can process payroll. 

Without a biometric clock, payroll turns into a paper shuffle and manual entries. Many times, if there is a clock, the system utilizes a punch card clock that requires manual calculation of time or paper timesheets that are collected once approved by the managers. Then the payroll team enters the time manually into the payroll system and processes payroll. 

There are many benefits you receive from employees using a biometric clock. Here are a few:

• Reduces time theft - Buddy punching occurs when another employee punches in for someone else keep them from receiving discipline for being late or absent, or to avoid reduced pay. The unique identifier for each employee prevents buddy punching from happening.
• Stops padding of time – When using paper time cards, it is easy to add a little time to each shift. If employees wait until the end of the week to fill in their paper timesheet, they may not remember they were late, or may intentionally put in eight hours each day regardless of what they work. Because we know exactly when the employee punched in and out, we can calculate their time and eliminate both intentional and unintentional padding of time.
• Stops out of schedule punches – If your company rounds to scheduled shift time or does not let employees clock in until a specific time before their shift a biometric clock can give a message to the employee attempting to clock in early.  
• Reduces Mistakes – Manual entry of data allows for entry errors where biometric clocks and Time and Attendance systems can automate the calculations for you. 
• Increases Compliance – You will be able to make sure company rules are followed, such as proper meals and breaks, track time off or days absence, watch for overtime and be alerted to missing punches. 
• Increases Efficiencies – When employees are using punch cards, it takes a few seconds to find their time cards and then after punching in to put the time card back in the rack.  The process may only take a few seconds but multiply that by your number of employees and by the number of days and the seconds add up to hours of overtime. 
  

Biometric Time and Attendance Systems can make your payroll processing more efficient and accurate. Contact us if you would like to learn more!