Fingerprint Attendance System: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Earlier
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the fingerprint attendance system. After all, it seems like a great way to keep track of employee attendance and ensure everyone is where they’re supposed to be. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are some potential disadvantages of the fingerprint attendance system as well.
The main disadvantage of using a biometric fingerprint attendance system is that it can be inaccurate. Sometimes, the system may not be able to read a person’s fingerprint accurately. It can be frustrating for employees trying to clock in or out. Another disadvantage of using a biometric fingerprint attendance system is that it can be expensive. The hardware and software required to run the system can be costly. Additionally, the system may need to maintain accuracy.
Some of these disadvantages can be categorized as under:
- High Cost
The fingerprint machines have a certain cost, proportionate to their capacity and quality. This can become prohibitive for organizations with multiple locations. At a time when several apps are available in the market for marking attendance, this looks like a big disadvantage.
- High Maintenance and Obsolescence
As with most hardware, the fingerprint machines need maintenance. That is an expense. On top of that, like all hardware, the machines become outdated/ obsolete after a certain time and need replacement. That is again a cost.
- Limited Capacity
The finger biometrics machines come with a defined capacity, normally linked to price. When number of employees exceeds the capacity, the organization has to put in a new machine. Now the data is being collected by two machines and two separate reports are being generated. That is undue inconvenience for HR team.
- Limited Functionalities
The fingerprint machines have very limited features. They just record attendance-in and attendance-out in respect of the employees. However, there is so much more an attendance management system needs to do, e.g. roster management, leave management, employee tracking, generating reports like muster roll etc.
- False Positives
One of the potential problems with fingerprint attendance systems is that they can produce false positives. It means that an employee might be marked as present even though a few are absent. It can happen if the fingerprint reader isn’t working properly or an employee’s fingerprint isn’t registered correctly.
False Negatives
Another potential problem with fingerprint attendance systems is that they can produce false negatives. An employee might be marked as absent even though they’re present. It can happen if the fingerprint reader isn’t working properly or an employee’s fingerprint isn’t registered correctly.
- Difficulty Changing Clocks
If you need to change an employee’s clock-in or clock-out time, it can be challenging to do so with a fingerprint attendance system. You might need to delete the employee’s fingerprint and re-enroll them in the design, which can be time-consuming.
- Privacy Issues
Fingerprint attendance systems do not protect privacy. You need to store your employees’ fingerprints in a database, which could potentially be breached. If you’re concerned about privacy, this might not be the right solution.
9. Might Not Work with All Employees
Fingerprint attendance systems might not work with all employees. For example, if an employee has a skin condition that prevents them from using a fingerprint reader, this system won’t work for them. Similarly, some employees lose their fingerprints due to hard manual labour using hands.
10. Requires Regular Maintenance
Fingerprint attendance systems require regular maintenance to function correctly. If you don’t keep up with the care, the system might not work as intended.
Overall, fingerprint attendance systems have both advantages and disadvantages. You’ll need to carefully weigh the pros and cons before deciding if this solution is right for you.
Alternative: Face Recognition Attendance System
You may have seen news reports about the benefits of using facial recognition technology, also known as biometrics, for attendance at public events. The idea is that by using this technology, you can be sure that everyone who attends an event is who they say they are.
You may also use QR based attendance systems or use BLE or other such modern technologies.
One system that can give you several modern interfaces like face recognition, QR, BLE, phone biometrics and gives you flexibility of medium – employee’s smartphone, tablet, laptop/ desktop to mark attendance is truMe Attendance Management System.
Do check it out while making a decision about a modern, robust and multi-faceted attendance management system.
Great insights on fingerprint attendance systems! The discussion about their disadvantages is eye-opening. The points about high costs, maintenance, and limited functionalities are valid concerns. I'm curious about truMe Attendance Management System, especially its modern interfaces and flexibility. Thanks for introducing an alternative to consider!
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