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Article

Title: Palm Readers Replacing Time Clocks for Workers

Author: Caruso, David B Article Type: Product Analysis
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, pA6(1) Publication Date: Mar 27, 2008
URL of Publication: http://www.sfgate.com

Rather than punching a clock, many employees are now having their palms scanned in order to record when they arrive and when they leave work. The biometric devices both ensure that employees report their hours honestly and streamline the old-fashioned paper bookkeeping of payroll. Some employees, however, dislike the technology, finding it 'creepy.' More than $600 million was spent on the devices last year, with projections valuing the industry at more than $1 billion by 2011. Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's franchises, Hilton hotels and Marine Corps bases all use the palm scanners, as does New York City, which is using the devices to track the hours of 160,000 city workers. Civil servants from a variety of city agencies have objected to the devices as demeaning and creating an atmosphere of mistrust. They have also raised privacy concerns regarding how and for how long their data will be stored. Professionals are aggravated by the loss in flexibility they used to enjoy when their scheduling was handled by human resources. The city contends that modernizing their payroll processes will save $60 million a year and cut down on paperwork and fraud. Other cities large and small are now set to deploy the scanners.

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