Why contactless

Clock in without touching a thing

Staff look at the terminal and carry on walking. That suits sites where a shared surface is a problem, and sites where hands are gloved, wet or full by the time somebody reaches the door. Palm is the other contactless option, so if faces are awkward for any reason, palm detection does a similar job.

The clocking is matched against a mathematical template rather than by comparing photographs. An administrator can view an enrolled face within a restricted, access logged part of the software, and nothing is downloadable. It is still special category data under UK GDPR, so see what is held and where and what UK GDPR asks of employers.

Nothing shared to touch

Which matters in food production, healthcare and anywhere a shared surface at the door is a question you would rather not be asked.

Gloves stay on

Nobody is peeling off a glove or putting down a toolbox to clock in, which is where fingerprint readers lose people on an industrial site.

A glance is all it takes

Quick enough that a line of people arriving together does not back up at the door.

Two practical notes: face terminals want mounting out of direct sunlight, and someone whose appearance changes significantly can be re-enrolled in a moment. If your entrance is a glass door facing south, say so and we will look at where the terminal should go. Or compare with fingerprint.

One face, clocking and access control

The same enrolment that records attendance can open the door, so time and access run from one system and staff carry nothing at all.

For time and attendance

  • Every clocking recorded at the moment it happens, with no card to forget
  • Hours that go straight through to payroll
  • Re-enrolment in a moment if someone’s appearance changes

For access control

  • Access set by person, area and time of day
  • A live record of who has come in and not yet left
  • Works with our access control systems, so the door and the clocking are one event

The benefits of facial identification

The credential cannot be lent

Access to secure areas is tied to the person, not to a card that could be in anybody’s pocket by lunchtime.

Nothing to issue or collect back

No keys, fobs or cards, so nothing to hand out on day one and nothing to chase from a leaver who has already gone.

Quick at the door

A glance rather than a fumble for a card in a coat pocket, which is what keeps a morning queue moving.

Hours you can rely on

Entry and exit recorded when they happened, so the timesheet reflects the day rather than a recollection of it.

Nothing to clean

A contactless terminal is one less shared surface in a building where somebody has to think about that sort of thing.

Ready for payroll

Hours feed into payroll, exporting for Sage, Pegasus and QuickBooks, with direct Sage integration on Realtime.

Where face recognition works best

Contactless suits some workplaces far more than others. These are the ones where a glance rather than a touch makes a real difference.

Food production and manufacturing

Nothing shared to touch on the way onto the floor, and gloves stay on. This is the sector where fingerprint readers most often disappoint.

Healthcare and clinical settings

Touch-free clocking sits more comfortably with infection control, with no terminal anybody has to wipe between users.

Warehousing and logistics

Somebody carrying a load or wearing gloves clocks in without putting anything down, and a shift change does not back up at the door.

Construction and site work

Hands are rarely clean enough for a fingerprint reader by ten in the morning, which is usually what settles the question on a site.

Hospitality

Quick clocking at service change, and nothing for kitchen or floor staff to carry between one end of the building and the other.

Retail

Taking on forty temporary staff for Christmas means forty cards to issue and forty to get back. Enrolment removes both jobs.

If your entrance faces strong daylight, mention it when you get in touch, since that affects where the terminal should go. Book a demo and we will talk it through.

Facial recognition clocking FAQs

The face-specific questions. For consent, DPIAs and data protection generally, see biometric attendance. Or call the Leeds team on 0113 350 9043.

Does it work with glasses, a beard or a hard hat?
Glasses and hard hats are generally fine, since the system works from the central features of the face rather than the outline. A beard grown or shaved off since enrolment can cause failed reads, and the answer is a quick re-enrolment rather than a service call. Face coverings are the exception: if a mask stays on in your environment, facial recognition is the wrong choice and palm is the contactless option that still works.
Where should the terminal be mounted?
Out of direct sunlight, and at a height that suits the range of people using it. Strong daylight behind somebody, which is what happens at a glass entrance facing south, is the commonest cause of trouble with any face system. It is a siting question rather than a product fault, and it is worth settling before installation rather than moving the unit afterwards.
Could someone clock in using a photograph?
Modern terminals include measures to distinguish a live face from a flat image, and it is not a problem we see in practice. The realistic thing biometrics removes is the everyday version, where a card gets handed over in the car park, and it removes that entirely. If your concern is genuinely about someone going to elaborate lengths to gain access rather than to clock in five minutes early, that is a security conversation rather than a clocking one, and we would want to understand it before recommending anything.
Is a photograph of my face stored?
Matching is done against a mathematical template rather than by comparing pictures. An administrator can view an enrolled face within a restricted, access logged part of the software, and nothing is downloadable as an image file. It is still biometric data and still special category data under UK GDPR, so it is treated accordingly rather than as ordinary personal data. Our data security page sets out where it sits.
How long does enrolment take?
Well under a minute a person, done at the terminal itself rather than centrally, which is the one practical difference from fingerprint. For a hundred staff, plan on doing it in groups as people arrive rather than trying to enrol everybody at once.
Do the terminals check temperature?
We do not offer it and would not recommend it. Temperature readings are health data, which brings obligations well beyond ordinary attendance records, and the pandemic-era case for it has largely gone. If a supplier is still selling it as a feature, ask them what lawful basis they expect you to rely on.
Can the same terminal take cards or PINs?
Yes, and you will want it to. Someone who declines biometric enrolment needs a way to clock that does not mark them out, and visitors or contractors will not be enrolled at all. Mixed use at one terminal is normal.
What does a facial recognition terminal cost?
Terminals start at £395 excl. VAT as a one-off, with software separate at £2 per employee per month excl. VAT for Syncro Connect. See the full terminal range for specific models.
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