Advances in technology provide ever more access to workplace monitoring tools, however a light touch needs to be taken when tracking employee attendance.
UK companies are now considering their use of facial and fingerprint scanning tech following a recent ruling by the ICO.
The Information Commissioner's Office is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights. In March they
ordered Serco Leisure to stop using facial recognition and fingerprint scanning technologies to track employee attendance due to data concerns.
The ICO’s investigation found that Serco Leisure and community leisure trusts have been “unlawfully processing the biometric data of more than 2,000 employees at 38 leisure facilities for the purpose of attendance checks and subsequent payment for their time.”
Biometric Verification
Biometric verification is increasingly being used in a variety of situations because it’s seen as a convenient and quick way to authenticate an identity. It’s based on either physiological or behavioural characteristics.
We’re all now familiar with facial or fingerprint recognition when we open our phones but there are many other methods of biometric authentication that can be used, including retina scanning, voice recognition and even vein recognition.
Any monitoring must be compliant with data protection law and, as the UK’s data protection regulator, the ICO has produced
employee monitoring guidance.
ICO Guidance
This is aimed at helping employers ensure they are monitoring workers lawfully, transparently and fairly. The guidance makes it clear that employers must mitigate any potential risks associated with using biometric data, such as identifying people wrongly or system bias.
With more flexibility around the way we now work, SMEs need to find the right way to manage staff schedules so that variable working hours and patterns can be monitored accurately.
Secure Timesheets & Check-Ins
Time & Attendance is an essential
WorkSmarter service and makes sure employers stay in line with employment law by using simple, non-invasive software that respects your workforce.
Keeping a correct record of your staff’s working hours, alongside their break times, proves you’re compliant with their legal rights and helps you measure performance and productivity.
Find out more about our Timesheets and Project Tracking tool
here, or book a quick
call with one of our friendly team.
