Introducing BioStar 2’s Time and Attendance System

The time and Attendance (T&A) System is a process that tracks and manages employees’ check-in and check-out times, meal times, vacations, and absences. Traditional time and attendance systems were based on a manual recording process, where employees recorded their time and schedule information on various manual recording devices from paper, punch cards or computers. The data gathered from such records then would be processed by managers, and salaries were calculated based on such information. The process is deemed very inefficient due to the large amount of time it takes for a manager to process such data. Furthermore, such processes suffer from inaccuracy and lack of reliability from data input errors, calculation errors, or scamming activities arising from human resources.

Implementing an automated time and attendance system will resolve previously mentioned issues by greatly reducing errors that may occur during the collection and calculation stages. The automated time and attendance system will allow for simpler workforce management as they can be easily grouped, and attendance rules such as work hours, breaks, absences, meal-time, etc. can be applied accordingly. Furthermore, reports can be generated on demand as such data is processed and calculated automatically.

A T&A system’s largest threat is ‘buddy punching,’ which means another person records the time instead of the actual worker. Workforce waste, overpaid payroll, and cheating clocks are increasing annually across the globe because of buddy punching. Buddy punching means that a fellow employee records time in place of the actual employee, and an ordinary time and attendance system that uses credentials such as cards, PINs, or passwords cannot prevent buddy punching because credentials can be shared. For example, let's say that Tom and John are good friends at work. John can register a check-in time for John, who is late for work, or John can register a check-out time for Tom, who left work early without meeting the regulated work hours.

If a T&A system combined with biometrics technology is utilized, efficient management is possible, incorporating the benefits of preventing buddy punching and the benefit of an additional decrease in costs. Furthermore, it has superior security than cards, FoB, PINs, and passwords. Biostar 2, linked with Suprema’s latest fingerprint recognition devices, allows you to manage an organization’s human resources efficiently and professionally. You can also prevent authorization with forged fingerprints if you utilize the Live Finger Detection (LFD) feature mounted on Suprema’s latest fingerprint recognition devices.

BioStar 2’s time and attendance management system consists of elements of Time Code (once called Pay Code), Shift, Schedule, Schedule Template, and Overtime Rule. The Time Card and Report features can be used to edit or print out individual time and attendance records as reports.

Structure-wise, BioStar 2 T&A and BioStar 1 T&A may look similar. However, BioStar 2 T&A simplified the complicated configuration of BioStar 1 T&A and increased the flexibility of the functions to allow diverse configurations.

[BioStar 2 T&A System Structure]

Time code (once called Pay Code) is the configuration of Type and Time Rate.

The available Time Code types are Attendance Management, Overtime Management, and Leave Management. The Time Rate can be configured between 0 and 10. Examples of Type and Time Rate applications are as follows:

• Configuring the Type as Attendance Management and Time Rate as 1: This time code will be used to calculate the regular work time. Since the time rate has been set to 1, the work time will be calculated as one hour if an employee works one hour.

• Configuring the Type as Overtime Management and Time Rate as 2: This time code will be used to calculate the overtime work hour. Since the time rate has been set to 2, the work time will be calculated as two hours if an employee works one hour.

• Configuring the Type as Leave Management, Option as Worked, and Time Rate as 0.5: This time code will be used to calculate leave management in cases of vacations, working outside of the office, sick days, etc. Since the time rate has been set to 0.5, the work time will be calculated as 0.5 hours if an employee works one hour.

Furthermore, you can select colors to distinguish the Time Codes easily.

Shift is configuring one day’s (24 hours) work rules. You can configure the rules’ specific details such as work type (Fixed / Flexible), work start time, Time Code’s time segment, Rounding (Shift, Punch in, Punch out), Grace, and Meal Deduction. The Time Code has to be configured prior to configuring the Shift.

• Work Type (Fixed, Flexible)–BioStar 2 supports two work types. If the work type is configured as Fixed, employees must check in and out at established times. If the work type is configured as Flexible, employees are free to choose their own check-in and check-out times for work each day, and this work type can be changed with a single click.
• Automatic Meal Deduction–A complicated design of a different Time Code or Time Segment is unnecessary for meal time because of this feature. If the Automatic Meal Deduction is checked on, configuration for a meal time can be completed with a few clicks.
• Break by Punch–You can track how employees use their entire break time daily. Employees have to register break start/break end event with a T&A device for their break, and the administrator can see this record through the Time Card or Report in a single glance.

The Schedule Template is the configuration of repeated Shift cycles. Cycles can be configured daily or weekly. The Shift has to be configured beforehand to configure the Schedule Template.

Rule can be helpful in configuring Shifts when overtime is not applied. Normally, the Overtime Time Code has to be configured first, then time segments for each Overtime Time Code has to be individually configured to configure overtime. However, this method does not allow complicated overtime configuration. Rules can be configured overtime with contextual visibility by configuring time rules, allowing easy implementation of complicated Shifts. For example, if two Overtime Time Codes of A and B need to be implemented, you can configure a flow such as “After 8 hours, apply → overtime of 3 hours then apply overtime B → limit to max overtime of 5 hours.”

Schedule allows the structuring of a work schedule by designating the Schedule template, period, holiday, and users. To configure a Schedule, the Time Code, Shift, and Schedule Template has to be configured beforehand, and user and holiday information configured in the BioStar 2 AC module are required as well.

This function allows a detailed overview and editing of individual time and attendance records.

This function can generate reports about user time and attendance events captured through the time and attendance management system.

BioStar 2’s T&A System is not merely an employee Check-in and Check-out tracking system. Work, Break, Meal, Leave type, and times that are related to employee payroll can also be tracked. Furthermore, time and attendance records edited by the administrator can be seen in a single glance.

Time code (once called Pay Code), which is the core element of the Shift, can be created unlimitedly in BioStar 2’s T&A System. All company policies can be supported by combining Time Code Type, Time Rate, and Option (Worked, Not Worked).

Overtime policies differ by each company; hence, the administrator can face difficulties configuring the Shift. An Overtime Rule is applied to a Shift, not a Time Code, which leads to flexibility in applying diverse company overtime rules. The overtime rule can be generated based on the flow of time by using the Overtime Pay Code, and daily, weekly, monthly, weekend, and holiday rules can be configured and managed effortlessly.

BioStar 2’s T&A System supports easy, Flexible Work configuration. Flexible Work shifts can be applied to users or user groups with a few clicks after Time Codes with Attendance Type are configured.

With BioStar 2 T&A System’s Time Card, the Daily work hours, used Shift names, normal working hours, exceptions, absences, and holiday states that affect employee schedule and salary can be seen at a glance. This helps the administrator to manage employees efficiently. Furthermore, each user’s punch records can be edited, and absences can be registered to allow for the simple processing of exceptions.

BioStar 2’s function can be divided into access control and time and attendance management, which are managed by the AC and TA modules, respectively. These two modules have their own configuration information, but the User, User Group, and Device information can be shared with both the AC and TA modules. Furthermore, the User Group and Schedule settings can be checked in the Time Card and it is displayed in the same hierarchical structure that was configured in the AC module, providing consistent information to the administrator.

Device information that is registered to BioStar 2 is shared and can be used by both the AC and T&A modules. This may influence the device’s functionality beyond simply sharing device information. The T&A module can designate the AC module’s time and attendance device, and therefore the device may execute different functions based on the registered module. For example, if a device is registered only on the AC module, it can be used as an access control device, and if it is set as a time and attendance recording device in the T&A module, it can be used as an access control + time and attendance device. This module-based function allows the administrator to manage the device more easily.