Many shops buy a fingerprint time clock because they are tired of staff clocking in for each other. Once the device is installed, buddy punching does drop sharply, because nobody can lend their finger to someone else. But at the end of the month the owner still spends a whole evening plugging in a USB stick to pull the data, opening an Excel file, checking person by person who was late on which day and who worked overtime, then typing it all again into the payroll sheet. The device only records punch times. To turn punch times into a timesheet and a payroll, the device has to be connected to HR software.
What a fingerprint device does, and what needs software
| Task | Fingerprint device on its own | Device connected to software |
|---|---|---|
| Stop buddy punching | Works: it needs that person's actual finger | Keeps this advantage |
| Know who is late or leaves early | Only has punch times, does not know which shift the person works | Punch times are matched against the scheduled shift |
| Split shifts, half days | Several punches a day, pieced together by hand | Recorded by shift, including split shifts and half days |
| Missed punch, finger not recognised | Edited in a file, nobody knows who changed it | Every edited line stores who changed it and when |
| Payroll | Numbers copied into the payroll sheet, easy to miss something | Hours are already totalled; pay is calculated by hour, shift or month |
From a finger on the scanner to a payslip
Once the device is connected to Ordersys HRM, four steps repeat every month:
- Clocking in. The employee places a finger on the device and the time in is recorded for the right person. The system matches it against the scheduled shift and shows straight away who is on time, who is late and which shift is short-staffed.
- During the shift. Swapping shifts, leaving early and staying for overtime are recorded together with the person who approved them at that moment, instead of being remembered at the end of the month.
- Closing the timesheet. At the end of the period the timesheet is already built from the whole month's punches. The manager only reviews the unusual lines and approves, instead of adding everything up from scratch.
- Paying wages. The software totals the hours, adds overtime, deducts late arrivals and early departures, and adds allowances. Each payslip separates every item, so staff can see where the final number comes from.
Five things to do before buying a device
- Ask the software provider first, buy the device second. Tell them which model you plan to buy so they can check that it connects. Asking after you have bought it can leave you running two systems side by side.
- One code per person, matching the employee profile. The code on the device and the code in the software must be the same. When someone leaves, delete their fingerprint from the device on their last working day.
- Register two fingers for each person. Wet, greasy or scratched fingers are often not recognised. Kitchen staff should clock in before washing their hands and going into the cooking area.
- Put the device at the staff entrance, not at the cashier counter. Staff clock in when they arrive instead of squeezing in while customers are paying.
- Check the device clock. If the device runs a few minutes off, the whole shop gets marked late. Look at the time on the device once at the start of each month.
When the device does not recognise a finger, or someone forgets to punch
This happens every month. Do not let staff write their own times in a notebook for the owner to re-enter at the end of the month. Ordersys allows controlled manual time entry: the manager records the time in and out for that person, and for every edited line the system stores who changed it and when. If there is a question at payday, both sides open that exact line instead of arguing from memory.
Shops whose staff move between several locations, or small shops not ready to invest in a device yet, can use QR code clock-in alongside the fingerprint device. Both methods record into the same timesheet.
Clock-in by device, by QR or manually, shift scheduling, shift swaps with an approver and automatic payroll are all part of Ordersys HRM software, with a free 7-day trial. A comparison of QR and fingerprint and the levels of protection against buddy punching is in the article QR code time attendance: how it works and how to stop buddy punching. Before payday, double-check with the article where month-end payroll usually goes wrong.
Clock in by phone and calculate pay by shift, allowances and overtime automatically every month.
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