The Importance of Getting Time and Attendance Right for Your Security Business

By TEAM Software January 28, 2020 Categories:

With the variety of time and attendance methods available on the market, which ones make sense for your business?

Anyone with experience managing a security business knows there are many challenges within the industry. One challenge in particular is finding the best technology system for verifying your employees are in the right place at the right time.

Time and attendance monitoring has come a long way since the punch-in time clock. But the matter is still as complicated, sensitive, and challenging as it ever was. When a misstep in payroll occurs, you could be responsible for reparations in pay reaching into the millions.

There are many technology solutions available and finding the most appropriate one at the right price can mean the difference between winning and losing a contract, or between running it at a profit or a loss.

Typical solutions include:

  • Fixed-line telephones;
  • Mobile apps with GPS and SMS messaging
  • Fingerprint identification
  • Facial recognition
  • Desktop computer login.

But what should you consider when implementing an employee time system?

Performance

The core requirement of any time and attendance system is the ability to verify the identity of a person at a particular location and at a particular time. In all cases, it must be able to do this with a high degree of accuracy and reliability. In some locations and circumstances, this will be of the highest importance, especially in instances where someone is gaining access to areas containing sensitive material, data, or intellectual property.

Convenience

Time is money, so an ideal verification system will be able to operate seamlessly and without delays. It will also need to be simple to use and require minimum effort from the person checking in, and would not require that person to carry any additional identifying equipment.

Health and safety are also factors to consider. Does the technology solution require everyone to touch the same surfaces in order to clock in and out, or can they be processed without the need for physical contact?

Cost

When considering cost, consider not just the investment that comes with implementation, but also the costs associated with errors and unreliability, both in cash terms and in damage to reputation if things go wrong. And it’s not just the cost to the employer, but in some cases also to the employee. It’s important to remember that requiring workers to use their own devices or data allowances for verification might effectively put them below the legal earning threshold.

Read the next article in this series to help you answer the question “What’s right for my business?”