Biometric timekeeping--par for the course.

With biometric technology, payroll administrators, CFOs, and controllers have the opportunity to eliminate the headaches of tracking employee time and attendance, all while saving time and money. Unlike with badges, punch cards, or other traditional employee tracking devices, the use of a biometric reader ensures that no employee can punch in for another (a process termed "buddy punching"), which eliminates time fraud and reduces payroll costs. Because every person's hand is unique, a biometric-based time clock provides a quick, accurate, and reliable way to record "in" and "out" punches for each employee. That is why many clubs and other work environments are now switching to biometric time and attendance devices.

Case Study #1: Quail Creek Golf Club

Recently, the Quail Creek Golf Club, a private, member-owned club in Naples, FL, decided to replace its old proprietary system that was cost ineffective with new biometric HandPunch terminals made by Ingersoll Rand to clock employees in and out.

"I disliked the fact that we never owned the system outright and had to continue paying for it each month," said Nina Brown, manager of information systems for Quail Creek. After an internal audit revealed that Quail Creek's previous time and attendance provider had overcharged the club by several thousand dollars, Brown decided to find a new vendor. "Cost was a major factor in switching over."

Quail Creek was looking for an affordable, fully-functional, automated time and attendance system that could handle complex premiums and integrate seamlessly with its Abra Suite. The club ultimately chose UNITIME Automated Timekeeping System's desktop version along with the HandPunch timeclocks, resulting in a robust, fully-integrated solution that improves efficiency and saves the club money. This system automatically tracks time and attendance for its full- and part-time employees, which number up to 200 during peak season. Employees work out of three buildings at the facility.

A biometric reader ensures payroll accuracy by requiring each employee to be present; no cards or other credentials are needed. Losses due to "buddy punching" are eliminated. As a result, some companies report savings of up to five percent of total payroll cost. Using scheduling restrictions, unauthorized early "in" punches and late "out" punches are eliminated. Also, the hardware is typically less than ten percent of the overall cost of a time and attendance system, meaning that biometric readers can be affordably placed in multiple locations.

With the terminals, Quail Creek has eliminated expenses associated with employee badges and fraud caused by buddy punching. Instead of filling out or punching timecards, employees simply place their hands on the device. It automatically takes a three-dimensional reading of the size and shape of the employee's hand and verifies the user's identity in less than one second.

"The end result is a substantial savings in labor costs," Brown said.

Case Study #2: Bay Colony Golf Club

The Bay Colony Golf Club--also located in Naples, FL on approximately 300 acres bordering the Cocohatchee Strand Nature Preserve just within the gated entrance of the Pelican Marsh community--also employs biometric HandPunch terminals to clock "in" and "out" transactions.

"By employing hand geometry biometrics with our Gatekeeper software, we are utilizing new technology to control our payroll costs," said Martha Drescher, Bay Colony Golf Club controller. "As a result of using the HandPunch terminals for all of our hourly employees, we can better manage our staff. We have eliminated FTE's (full-time equivalents) with better management of staff and less overtime."

Bay Colony employs 85 people during their season, which runs November 1 through May 31. That number is reduced to 50 during the off-season.

"Managers can better manage their departments because the software is connected to their desktops and they deal with it on a daily basis. The system makes department managers more accountable," Drescher added.

Bay Colony's two biometric terminals are used daily at the golf course and in the clubhouse. They are connected to a Microsoft Exchange Network. The terminals also interface with the club's Gatekeeper Business Solutions back-office software. Gatekeeper Business Solutions provides a high tech hardware and software solution for reducing labor expense and automating time and attendance and payroll processes.

Benefits of Biometrics

For these golf clubs, biometrics ensures employees earn a day's pay only when they are present to do a day's work. However, the hand readers are more than simple time clocks; they also transmit the employee's "in" and "out" transactions to a company's time/attendance/payroll software. Multiple units can be networked into a central time and attendance record keeping system. Interface software can be tailored to meet multiple record keeping needs, including programmable data management keys that collect specific data when employees' hands are verified.

The punching "in" process is simple and convenient. The employee enters a four-digit code (or more) via the keypad and then places his or her hand onto the reader. An employee's identity is verified in less than one second. The benefits of biometric systems are many:

* No badges to issue or replace when they are lost or stolen, and nothing to recover when an employee leaves or is terminated--after all, their hand is their badge.

* As already mentioned, it eliminates buddy punching. After a biometric reader is installed, many clubs are stunned to discover how much buddy punching was costing them.

* No more data entry errors when calculating payroll or recording attendance.

* A "plug and punch" feature enables some readers to be installed in less than 15 minutes.

According to Frost & Sullivan's, hand geometry readers continue to be the dominant biometric technology for access control and time and attendance applications. Last year, more hand readers were used than all fingerprint and facial recognition systems combined*

There are several possible reasons for this. First, hand geometry readers positively verify users by analyzing over 90 separate measurements of the hand's length, width, thickness, and surface area. This information is compared against a previously stored "template" in the reader's memory. As a result, the reader combines the flexibility of a full function data collection terminal with the sophistication of the most accurate verification technology available.

Hand geometry tends to better limit resentment from employees because it is considered less intrusive than other biometric devices. These include systems that recognize voice patterns, facial patterns, or iris patterns on the eye. Since the devices require only periodic cleaning, maintenance costs are low.

In addition, it is critical that any biometric terminal be designed to meet the needs of time and attendance. The HandPunch line of hand geometry-based terminals offers four different models, each with a set of features designed to satisfy the demands of all types of applications. HandPunch systems can be as simple as a single clock, or multiple units can be connected at a variety of sites via RS-485 wiring, optional Ethernet, or dial-up modems. With HandPunch terminals, supervisors can override user restrictions and input missed punches, planned vacations, sick time, and other information. This password-protected mode lessens the need for computer edits while audit trails for use of those functions ensures security. Bell schedules can be programmed to signal shift starts and stops as well as breaks.

Companies can elect to employ a full-function time and attendance terminal that includes feature sets unavailable on other biometrics-based time and attendance terminals. With 10 data management keys, the HandPunch 4000 terminal can be programmed to meet multiple data collection and management needs, allowing administrators to send messages to employees, which can be viewed when they punch. Employees can view up to 24 information fields to learn more about their schedules, total hours worked, and more.

A Day's Work for a Day's Pay

With biometrics, it is easy to ensure that employees earn a day's pay only when they are present to do a day's work. Whether employing 10 people or thousands, biometric time and attendance terminals provide more accurate payrolls and reduce labor costs* They also reduce operating expenses and increase employee convenience by eliminating the need for badges--all of which make the biometric trend a quick way to enhance a club's bottom line.

Bashar Masad is biometrics marketing manager for Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.