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| Calm Down Employees |
Probably the biggest thing you can do as an  employer to increase the acceptance and to calm other fears (such as the presumption of guilt, restriction of freedom of movement etc.) among your employees is to be upright about everything as it relates to the biometric system, and to have a good training program. You should tell your employees about your intentions of implementing a biometric system, especially the benefits and advantages that will be gained. Tell your employees how it will improve security and reduce the need to carry badges or re-issue new ones if old ones become damaged or lost outside or at your place of business.
Don’t just distribute an interoffice memo, have an open discussion in group forum, where your employees can speak openly. As the biometric system is being implemented, you must provide for a training program for your employees before the biometric system starts working. By having a good training program, many of the fears, objections, and anxieties will be overcome.
Also, your employees should have the necessary knowledge how to properly enroll and verify themselves. What should be included in the training program? You should design the training program to suit the needs of your employees. However, the topics that is to be covered include a brief overview of biometric technology, as well as conducting pilot runs so your employees will know how to use the devices properly (preferably with a number of key employees system champions) and senior management to highlight there is nothing untoward about using the system. You may give your employees printed material which consists of the key points of the training program. This can be used as a reference later on.
In a company of 100+ employees, we would suggest the manager or supervisor of each department to take part in the pilot run so they can then bring back this information back to their team and answer any questions they have before the technology goes live. Although having a training program may sound like a lot of work and effort on your part, you will be saving a lot of money, frustrations, and headaches in the long term.
A point to note is, there could be a small number of employees who will just object entirely to use such a system, or you may have some employees that simply cannot use a biometric system because of physical reasons (some employees may have no finger prints due to years of using abrasive materials resulting in damage to the shape/size of their fingers). In these cases, you must have a back up system in place (such as a manual ID check, etc.) and some flexibility in the system exists to cater for these situations.
With regards to the fears of “Big Brother” watching, really about the only thing you can do is to make sure your employees have the knowledge they need to use the biometric system effectively. The problem of Big Brother watching is a worldwide one and only time can take care of this issue. Finally, as you approach and embrace the use of biometric technology at your place of business, remember to look at it from an objective point of view and keep employees well informed.
In summary, here are some best practices, things to consider when implementing biometrics systems:
• Do a thorough risk analysis of your systems. In some cases, biometrics may be exaggeration, in others. It may be just what you need to ensure employees who are clocking and identifying themselves;
• Take the initiative to calm and relax employee apprehensions from the very beginning of system implementation, the resistance to use a biometric system will be greatly diminished, and will result in cooperation on the part of your employees;
• Think of where the digital data or templets generated by biometric devices will be stored. The biometric data from any reader must be digitized;
• Data needs to be protected on a dedicated and secure server to prevent it from being stolen and replayed against the system for malicious access.
• Don’t force people to fit the technology, business needs must drive the solution;
• Don’t underestimate the importance of process design, people, process, and technology must all be balanced;
• Finally, an integrated and comprehensive strategy is necessary.
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