Working in Real Time

November 19, 2004

By Sam LaGrone

Now psychics aren't the only ones to make money palm-reading.
Hudson Belk hopes to tighten its financial belt by forcing employees to clock in using a hand scanner in order to get an accurate account of time worked, ending the practice known as "buddy punching."

Belk, Inc. of Charlotte is one of the latest companies in the Triangle to deploy biometric scanners -- devices that use individuals' unique physical characteristics, such as a handprint, in place of security badges or passwords. Belk is using the devices at stores at Crabtree Valley Mall and Triangle Town Center.

"That's the most proven biometric technology," said David Fisch, a consultant for the New York-based International Biometrics Group. The chief force motivating the spread of the technology, Fisch said, is "eliminating buddy punching."

Buddy punching is when employees use friends to clock them in and out so they can leave early or show up late and get paid for time they weren't working.

The devices usually don't read handprints but create a unique digital code that a scanner can read based on the shape of the palm, the length of fingers and other measurements.

Most often these hand geometry scanners are used in conjunction with a pin code or a security badge. After the scan matches these other forms of identification to a name in the system, the employee can then open a door, punch a time card or log onto a computer.

Bahan Sadegh, with Tempe, Ariz.-based Time America, a company that makes software for hand scanners, said that more companies are looking at scanners similar to the one used by Belk.

"Initially it was a novelty," Sadegh said, "but use of biometrics has consistently gone up."

He said most companies that purchase the scanners are interested in buckling down on payroll, and most recoup the expense within a year from more accurate labor costs.

Representatives from Hudson Belk in Charlotte declined to comment on their new hand scanners.

Traditionally, biometric scanners have been used to control access to higher security areas. It's a favorite tool among hospitals.

Both Rex Healthcare and WakeMed have hand scanners used to control access to areas around the hospital.

WakeMed uses the device to allow entrance to its daycare facility, while Rex has 40 scanners in its main campus to restrict access to sensitive areas like the emergency rooms or its delivery center.

Major Scott Holzshu, with the WakeMed campus police, said that the hospital is looking into replacing some of its existing badge technology with biometric solutions.

"Physicians, they don't always have access to their badge," Holzshu said.

Rex too, is considering using different aspects of the technology in the future for other tasks -- for example, logging doctors in to the hospital network to view patient records.

But while some groups see the helpful side of biometric scanners, others are worried that personal information can be seen by people who don't ordinarily have access to it.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other privacy groups are keeping a close eye on the implementation of biometric devices. The ACLU is worried that information from biometric devices such as fingerprints and retina scans can be sold by employers with no protection.

"I'm not suggesting [timecards] are a bad use of that biometrics," said Barry Steinhardt, the head of the ACLU's technology section in the group's New York office. "What bothers me is that there are no limits. ...We have the Wild West approach to privacy law."

But for some organizations, the issue of individual convenience with an eye to security is enough to explore the alternatives.

"It's pretty tough to lose a hand," WakeMed's Holzshu said.

Staff writer Sam LaGrone can reached at 836-4951 or slagrone@newsobserver.com.