Biometrics — fingerprint, hand and face recognition software

The use of biometrics to identify employees and other individuals is also increasingly adopted in workplaces. This includes iris and retina scanning, fingerprinting or face and hand recognition technology.


As with ID swipe cards with embedded RFID chips (see page 33), this technology can be used to track and identify employees and visitors in real time wherever they are on workplace premises.


In 2018, employees of Community Integrated Care (CIC), a national care charity, expressed concern at the introduction of a new sign-in system, and with the support of their union UNISON sent a collective letter to the employer questioning the legitimacy of its use under GDPR. The hi-tech clock-in machine identifies staff by their fingerprints and photographs them each time they sign in or out. Staff who work through the night must sign in every hour, which they say can interrupt them attending to people in their care. UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Staff want to be able to respond to the needs of the people they care for, not the requirements of a machine. CIC should have more trust in their employees and allow them to get on with their work.”