6 reasons to use facial recognition in the workplace

The pandemic has pushed us all over the technology tipping point. Businesses have become ever more dependent on digital solutions—particularly contactless ones. So, as we try to reduce the number of contact points in buildings and physical touching, biometric technologies will become increasingly used. 

Contactless facial recognition is a secure solution that offers businesses major advantages, particularly in terms of security, sanitation, and efficiency.

How does facial recognition work?

Biometric recognition software uses people’s unique characteristics, including their faces, fingerprints, and retinas. Facial recognition uses AI technology to identify people through their individual facial features, which are scanned and measured.

Facial recognition software can detect differences between even very similar looking people. Algorithms are trained to detect features of people’s faces, including:

• Distance between forehead and chin
• Width of nose
• Length of jaw
• Depth of eye sockets

There are over 80 distinguishable features that can be detected, which do not change if people have a haircut or grow a beard.

The technology generally involves three steps:

1. Using a camera to detect the face of a person entering a building
2. The facial recognition software transforms the information from the facial features into a dataset 
3. The algorithm matches the data from the image from a profile stored in the system’s database

Here are 6 reasons to use a facial recognition system in your building.

1. Become more Covid complaint

This blog was written on the first day of yet another work from home order. With every new variant, people are becoming more sensitive about the environments in which they spend their time. 

However, businesses can implement systems that allow people to feel safer in buildings. For example, entering and leaving areas using facial recognition technology and allows people to move uninterrupted and without the need to touch surfaces. In addition, people can enter areas without having to sign in, use cards, or enter a code.

Moreover, a biometric facial recognition system, including mobile phone access control, could also be used with a Covid symptom screening platform. These types of solutions make your building Covid compliant and will put employees at ease when they have to return to the office.

2. Improve security

Improved security is one of the most significant benefits of facial recognition systems, which can be used as part of a multi-factor authentication (MFA) system. For example, most email accounts use an MFA system; the most common is a text message sent with a unique code. Biometric authentication can also be used as part of an MFA system.

As biometric facial recognition cannot be duplicated or copied, the most significant benefit is preventing unauthorised personnel from entering a building. Facial recognition software records the faces of everyone who has access, and the software can recognise employees who have the correct access permissions. This is particularly important if your business handles sensitive information or your building requires restricted access to certain areas.

Furthermore, a biometric clock that uses facial recognition will keep information safer than a manual attendance system ever could. Facial recognition will also keep employees’ schedules, wage information, and other sensitive information confidential and accessible only to that employee.

Additionally, if employees have company devices or laptops, facial recognition can protect these devices from theft or unauthorised use that might be caused by phishing or cyberattacks.

3. Track visitors and employees 

Knowing exactly where an employee or visitor is located in your building is complex. It is particularly difficult in a large building with multiple areas. However, the ability to track people is a key security feature.

On large sites, both employees and visitors are likely to explore their surroundings and, potentially, get lost. Facial recognition software helps to identify if anyone is in an area they shouldn’t be and adds another layer of security to the building. It can also help track the movements of visitors and employees and automatically records their timestamps when they enter and exit the premises. This is important as most entries to buildings are recorded, but exits are not. 

For advanced building security—using CCTV in addition to facial recognition software—an exact record can be kept of visitors and employees who are still inside a building and who has left. 

Moreover, facial scans will allow security to monitor any unauthorised entry in the building. It also helps keep track of anyone trying to access an unauthorised area. 

3. Smart integration

Integrating a facial recognition attendance system together with a payroll system is a relatively simple exercise. These systems are modular and highly customisable, which means that the time-in, time-out, and date formats can be customised to work with many different systems used in your business, and this allows you to organise data much easier. 

An extra feature, and something useful for a company with offices in several countries, is that time zone settings can be changed easily, meaning facial recognition software can be used globally. Any business with a workforce distributed across the globe can use a GPS attendance system to monitor employees as they work in different locations.

4. Improved privacy

Most companies are structured hierarchically, and the most senior employees have higher levels of clearance. Facial recognition systems can give the right access to the right people and also protects more junior employees’ privacy.

For example, software detecting a senior manager’ face will allow them to access a higher security level. They will, therefore, have access to the sensitive information for junior employees as well as accounting and HR records.

Moreover, facial recognition software can limit lower-level employee access to specific information, protecting privacy throughout the organisation.

5. Save time 

The administrative overheads for logging employee time and attendance can be huge. Manually carrying out this process means that a team of people in your organisation will be responsible for tasks such as:

• Writing employee schedules
• Creating payroll
• Processing paper time cards
• Authorising employee leave and overtime

Of course, human error is always a risk in manual processes. But facial recognition software can be used to automate your time and attendance system. This information can then be stored in a central location that is easy to administer.

Automating these tasks will mean they are done more precisely. Also, the time you save will allow your team to work on more meaningful tasks that help to grow the business. 

Conclusion

Digitalisation is not a trend or a fad; the whole world is heading in that direction. At its heart, digitalisation is about automating processes, using smart software, and using data to apply advanced technologies. Facial recognition is just one element of a wider digitalisation strategy that many businesses are currently implementing. 

Facial recognition in the workplace is one way of making employees feel safer during a pandemic. But its scope goes further and is more long-lasting. Digitalisation generally and facial recognition systems specifically mean higher efficiency, lower transaction costs, and more security for businesses.