The negative effects of employee time theft on a company are well documented. Time theft not only drains profits but it can also lower employee morale, stifle accountability and damage loyalty. Despite these facts, employees who are overly productive at work may feel that they are entitled to occasionally sneak a couple of extra minutes here and there on breaks or during working hours because they more than make up for it through high productivity. Their philosophy about time theft is rooted in the misconception that performance above and beyond standard job responsibilities and exceeding established expectations is somehow entitlement to steal time.
Not only is this a fallacy and a ridiculous justification of time theft, but what these employees may not realize is the ripple effect that this type of rationalization can have on other staff through the power of influence. Overly productive employees tend to be role models within a working environment by setting a good example and proving that with dedication, focus, and determination, goals can be met and exceeded. As role models, they are closely watched by other employees who want to be successful and move up the ladder, mimicking their habits and copying their actions with the hope that it will help them to become more productive too. However, if a model employee sets an example that occasional time theft is earned by being overly productive, they send the wrong message to others that may be following in their tracks exacerbating the problem and multiplying the negative effects it can have on a company. Read More…
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Perhaps foreshadowing a future shift for micro-credit banks across the globe to start using biometrics for customer identification, we distributed a News Release today announcing that ASMAB, a micro-credit bank in the country of Benin, has started to use fingerprint biometric banking technology for customer identification. The genesis for ASMAB’s decision to start using fingerprint biometrics was the widespread fraud and corruption that plagued their business, specifically customers falsifying their identities. These problems were undermining customer confidence in their process so ASMAB (with help from HPC Informatique, a technology solutions provider) decided to incorporate fingerprint biometrics to identify customers, eliminating fraud and corruption in their system and helping to secure consumer confidence.
Read more… A high-performing workforce management system, like Kronos, facilitates enterprises to forecast, schedule, and manage the time & attendance, absenteeism, labor activities, analytics, and collect employee’s data. Depending on the organization’s type and purpose, Kronos offers different workforce management suites like Workforce Central, Workforce Dimension Suite, and Workforce Ready Suite. The core objective of all of these solutions is to ensure maximum productivity by leveraging employee accountability, controlling labor costs, and increasing efficiency. But when it comes to time theft, it can cause some major issues and hamper the data’s accuracy and the effectiveness of the Kronos workforce management suites.
Time Theft and its Impact on BusinessTime theft occurs when an employee is paid for the time they have not actually worked, or for the time they were not actually at work at all. Sometimes they will use friends and colleagues to help punch in his or her office attendance on their behalf, which can be defined as buddy punching. According to the American Society of Employers, 20% of every dollar earned by a company is lost to employee time theft. Other sources also reported that U.S. employers are losing more than $373 million per year due to buddy punching alone. How to Prevent Time TheftHere are some tips on how to prevent employee time theft using the Kronos workforce management system. Read more… In biometrics, iris and retinal scanning are known as “ocular-based” identification technologies, meaning they rely on unique physiological characteristics of the eye to identify an individual. Even though they both share part of the eye for identification purposes, these biometric modalities are quite different in how they work. Let’s take a closer look at both and then explain the similarities and differences in detail:
Retinal Scanning: The human retina is a thin tissue composed of neural cells that are located in the posterior portion of the eye. Because of the complex structure of the capillaries that supply the retina with blood, each person’s retina is unique. The network of blood vessels in the retina is so complex that even identical twins do not share a similar pattern. Although retinal patterns may be altered in cases of diabetes, glaucoma or retinal degenerative disorders, the retina typically remains unchanged from birth until death. (Source: Wikipedia) A biometric identifier known as a retinal scan is used to map the unique patterns of a person’s retina. The blood vessels within the retina absorb light more readily than the surrounding tissue and are easily identified with appropriate lighting. A retinal scan is performed by casting an unperceived beam of low-energy infrared light into a person’s eye as they look through the scanner’s eyepiece. This beam of light traces a standardized path on the retina. Because retinal blood vessels are more absorbent of this light than the rest of the eye, the amount of reflection varies during the scan. The pattern of variations is converted to computer code and stored in a database. Retinal scanning also has medical applications. Communicable illnesses such as AIDS, syphilis, malaria, chicken pox well as hereditary diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell anemia impact the eyes. Pregnancy also affects the eyes. Likewise, indications of chronic health conditions such as congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, and cholesterol issues first appear in the eyes. Read more… According to a recent report by FactMR, the biometric middleware solution market is likely to see more demand in the coming years. This kind of solution facilitates enterprises to rapidly deploy biometrics solutions without any development hassles within a very affordable budget and the demand is rising dramatically. What is Biometric Middleware? Biometric middleware is a ready software solution that facilitates biometric identification (1:N) or authentication (1:1) functions for desktop or web applications with the help of a biometric scanner and a biometric matching engine. When using biometric middleware, it’s just a matter of hours to deploy a full-fledged biometric system. Some middleware solutions, like Hybrid Biometric Platform by M2SYS, even comes with support for multiple biometric modalities like the fingerprint, finger vein, iris, and facial recognition. Market Scenario Research conducted by Fact.MR disclosed their report on the market size of biometric middleware. According to present demand and the rate of adoption of biometric middleware in enterprises, it is expected to reach 4.3 billion US dollars in the next 10 years, whereas the present market size is just around 1 billion US dollars. Another market research report recognized M2SYS Technology as one of the leading contributors behind this growth. There are millions of patients in the USA relying on their biometric identification systems, thousands of bank account holders are identified every day and enterprises are saving billions of dollars per year by optimizing their workforce. Read more… An article published in the University of Vermont’s campus newspaper The Vermont Cynic reported that the campus recreation center has adopted M2SYS finger vein technology for student member identification. Tim Lewis, associate director for campus recreation made the decision to use finger vein biometrics for member identification after brainstorming ideas on how to eliminate students carrying ID cards. Happy to see our finger vein biometric identification system used at the University of Vermont through a partnership we have with Vermont Systems, a recreation and parks software provider based in Essex Junction, VT.
Modern-day membership management software is designed to help create efficiencies that antiquated methods simply can’t provide. In an effort to eliminate ID cards, prevent identity fraud, and create a more convenient user experience, many membership management facilities are evaluating vascular biometrics (finger vein) for identification because of the distinct advantages it offers. Specifically, using biometrics for member identification has proven to be the most effective and affordable solution for safe and secure management of sensitive information. Installation of a biometric member identification system is fast and easy, providing a convenient experience for members who no longer have to remember their ID Cards and a comforting feeling to recreation center staff who can feel confident that no unauthorized members are gaining access to the facility. Read more… As biometric identification management deployments continue to evolve around the world, the scope and complexity of administering these projects continue to grow as program administrators begin to expand the technology’s reach to more and more segments of society. A technology once used exclusively by government entities mostly in a military capacity has expanded to include virtually all classes and cultures thanks in large part to advances in system inefficiencies, lower costs and wider acceptance and understanding of the benefits by the public.
The intricacies and conditions of biometric identification deployments from initial set up to enrollment to identification/verification and the ever-present push to achieve near 100% identification accuracy has been a key motivator for biometric identification management vendors who design and build the software and hardware that power deployments. There is little doubt that biometric systems have become more user-friendly, customizable, ergonomic, and efficient, however, end users don’t assess the effectiveness or develop opinions on the use of biometrics based on these factors. They are much more in tune with the basic tenet of just about any piece of technology they come in contact with — does it work and do I trust it? Faith and trust in a biometric identification system are largely defined by the ability of the technology to accomplish what it promises and that is to accurately identify individuals, no matter what the conditions. End users expectations are that biometric identity management systems will be able to identify them regardless of the condition of their own physiological attributes or the environment where the system is used. After all, the effectiveness and security of a biometric system hinges on its ability to enroll as many eligible end users as possible, and accurately identify them on subsequent use of the system. Unfortunately, limitations in the ability of certain biometric hardware modalities to effectively capture individual biometrics due to problems like skin integrity, or climate, as well as the use of unimodal (biometric systems that comprise one hardware modality) systems for larger scale deployments, raise the risk that the technology will not perform as expected. Read more… Several years ago, if you questioned most identity management professionals whether they imagined the use of biometrics for individual identification management would turn out to become mainstream for authentication security, a majority would have said that the technology could be used in some areas, but only few could have forecasted the tremendous scale and scope of some larger deployments developing all over the world.
The reason behind adopting biometric technology is because traditional authentication tactics like the once thought to be ubiquitous password/username are insufficient for personal identity simply because they can only provide evidence of ownership or proof of knowledge whereas biometrics provides unique advantages as it relies on identifying someone by “who they are” compared to “what you know “or “what you have.” For those who have adopted or are considering adopting biometrics for identification, the most recent pre-deployment question due in part to the evolution of the industry is whether to deploy a unimodal or multimodal biometric system. Multimodal biometric systems have become the best-suited solution for any industry where high accuracy and security is required because they require two biometric credentials for positive identification instead of one in a unimodal system. Based on our own research, we have concluded that multimodal biometric systems have more advantages over unimodal biometric systems or traditional authentication systems. We have done extensive research on this culminating in the release of our whitepaper available for download: The Necessity of Multimodal Biometric Systems for Large Scale Deployments. Read more… Driving the Development of a Culture through Biometrics
In recent times, more and more companies belonging to a variety of different backgrounds, industries, and niches, are adopting biometrics as a means to optimizing their customer service and allow individuals to tap into the amazingly convenient and trustworthy world of biological identification mechanisms. However, it is not as simple as simply putting up a fingerprint scanner upfront. There are a number of factors that must be taken into account in order to ensure that your service is achieving the goals you have set for it and is actually proving to be beneficial for you and your mission in the long run. At the end of the day, the goal of any employer or organization employing the use of biometric technology in their operating sphere is to build a culture an environment based on trust, accountability, and security. For that purpose, it is important to ensure that all of the below mentioned key elements are being fulfilled and ensured every step of the way as they are salient in building not only a reliable biometrics system but also a well-rounded user experience. Read more… Patient safety in hospitals is improving, a report says that over the last several years 2.1 million fewer patients affected, 87,000 fewer patient deaths, and around $19.8 billion in cost savings due to hospitals efforts to patient safety.
Still, proper patient safety is long away from the satisfaction level. A stat says that around 440,000 people die every year from preventable errors in hospitals. Generally, we define patient safety like how hospitals and healthcare organizations ensure the safety of their patients from accidents, injuries, infections, and errors. Based on those data, some hospitals are sincere to keep their patients safe, when some hospitals lag behind. Everybody should consider medical safety the number one priority at every hospital. Medical errors can causes serious harms to the patients in a different way. Visitor Management SystemOne of the main concerns for hospitals is figuring out a way to track the large volume of patients and visitors who are passing through every day. Hundreds to thousands of people visit the hospital per day for a variety of different purposes. Leaving this issue of unchecked visitors is becoming a serious threat to patient safety. Hospitals currently keep a log of all people crossing the gate by paper sheets, ID cards or other traditional methods to ensure the security. But, sometimes it becomes highly difficult for them to track all these people in a manual way. Additionally, it is a hectic job to find a targeted person’s data from a large paper database. Any person with ill intent can forge the manual system and enter the hospital premises easily. They can even leave the hospital without any traces after completing the crime. This is a major threat to the patient safety of hospitals. Fortunately, now hospitals can overcome this problem with the advent of biometric technology. Biometric revolution helps many industries including the medical sector. Read more… |
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April 2019
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