Face vs Fingerprint:
Choosing the Right Attendance System for Dusty Sites in Saudi Arabia

What do you think about the touchless attendance system in Saudi Arabia that effectively works in environments where dirt, dust or extreme weather conditions dominate? Intense heat, rain and strong winds affect the accuracy of attendance systems and consume time with multiple trials. For fingerprint or other manual attendance systems, dust, dirt, and construction debris cause a huge challenge. So, it can easily get dirty and fail to function properly.

Construction workers find it difficult to use fingerprint systems when wearing gloves or having sweaty hands. Matrix ARGO Face tackles the situations that lead to inaccurate logging of attendance. This blog will provide you with insights on why touchless attendance systems in Saudi Arabia are considered best for dusty, outdoor construction environments.

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Why Biometric Attendance Systems Matter in Construction?

  • High Employee Movement and Larger Teams:
    Construction projects involve multiple shifts with workers making entry and exit at different times. This makes the manual attendance system complicated to track. When it comes to a larger workforce, preventing discrepancies in payroll processing is important, and a biometric attendance machine in KSA tackles confusion due to missed time entries, thereby enhancing overall efficiency.
  • Real-Time Labour Tracking:
    Employees' attendance should be marked as soon as they arrive or leave, especially in an unpredictable work environment such as outdoor construction sites. To ensure fair compensation, accurately tracking work hours by each employee is important. Real-time tracking provides up-to-the-minute data for management. An attendance punching machine is helpful, especially when the projects are spread across multiple sites and to identify where each worker is located.
  • Preventing Time Theft:
    Employees altering and falsifying their working hours is a serious issue, and fraudulent time entries can be eliminated by using a Matrix Attendance System. It also helps ensure only registered employees can clock in or out, thus removing the risk of time theft from proxies. By implementing an AI-based attendance system, supervisors no longer need to monitor clock-ins and outs manually. This allows them to save a considerable amount of time and focus on more important tasks.
  • Eliminating Buddy Punching:
    Unlike traditional card access control systems, in which employees can swap cards, biometrics provide foolproof methods for recording attendance, ensuring data accuracy and reliability. When one employee punches in or out for another, buddy punching occurs, and a biometric system ensures only registered employees can clock in or out. Thus, preventing this practice and ensuring each employee is personally responsible for their time tracking.
  • Solving Manual Log Issues:
    Manual attendance logs are prone to mistakes due to incorrect entries. In contrast, an automated biometric system ensures accurate and trusted attendance data by reducing the risk of human error. Manual logs can easily be misreported, while biometric systems provide a precise and protected way of recording time. By automating the process, HR staff can shift their focus to more important strategic tasks.
  • Compliance with Saudi Labour Laws:
    It is important to ensure workers' hours are accurately tracked to comply with Saudi law regulations on working hours, breaks and overtime pay. When it comes to paid leave, end-of-service benefits, health insurance and other entitlements, following Saudi labour law is important. For submitting reports to government authorities, accurate attendance and work hours are critical. This helps ensure transparency and compliance with national regulations.
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    Face vs Fingerprint: Which Is Better for Saudi Construction Sites?

    • Fingerprint Attendance System: Pros & Cons
      The fingerprint system provides highly accurate identification based on unique biometric features. However, in outdoor construction sites, fingerprint sensors can malfunction due to dirt, dust or moisture and require frequent maintenance. Just like Matrix ARGO Face, in the fingerprint attendance machine as well, only registered employees can clock in or out. Though here in this biometric system, the risk of lost or stolen cards is completely eliminated, some employees with worn fingerprints may face difficulties with recognition. In the outdoor construction environments where their work largely affects the skin of their hands, especially fingers, contactless recognition is crucial.

      They also have to wear gloves while working, and frequent entry, exit and associated punching as part of the job make it difficult to manage effectively.
      Also, sharing fingerprint scanners poses hygiene issues, especially in high-contact workplaces. In a fingerprint attendance system, once enrolled, it is easy to scan a fingerprint and provides an accurate time-stamped record for auditing and reporting. However, a fingerprint system may not perform well in extreme outdoor weather conditions with heat, rain and dust.
    • Touchless Attendance System Saudi Arabia: A better option
      Matrix ARGO Face is a touchless attendance system in Saudi Arabia that eliminates physical contact, thus reducing contamination and germ spreading. This is important in high-traffic areas such as a construction site. Here, it makes use of facial recognition that offers high accuracy and eliminates human error and fraudulence, such as buddy punching or time theft. With a touchless system, here, the employees can quickly clock in and out without delays. Thus, it is possible to streamline the attendance process and save time.

      For dusty areas with construction debris in Saudi Arabia, heat and humidity can interfere with traditional systems. But a touchless system with facial recognition technology is designed to work in harsh environments. By offering real-time data and updates, HR can monitor employee attendance accurately and make immediate adjustments if needed. Accurate tracking of work hours and employee attendance is needed for payroll purposes, and a touchless system helps businesses comply with Saudi labour laws.

      A touchless system lowers administrative costs and improves accuracy by reducing the need for physical timecards or manual inputs. As your business expands, the touchless attendance system also scales up with it. Ease of use is another highlight of facial recognition, as it is user-friendly and quick, making it easier for employees to register attendance without complications. A fingerprint machine has its own advantages and disadvantages, and when compared to it, a touchless system is found to be more beneficial, especially for outdoor construction sites.
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      What to Look for in a Rugged Attendance System?

    • Weatherproof Design (IP65 Rated):
      Protection from dust and water is important, and an IP65 rating ensures the system is protected from dust ingress and water jets. Weatherproof design helps the attendance system perform consistently in challenging weather such as rain, dust storms or extreme heat. Devices with an IP65 rating have a lower chance of malfunction as they are protected from external elements. Built to last longer, the attendance system provides uninterrupted service for time tracking.
      • card access control systems
    • Battery Backup or Solar-Powered Options:
      Ensuring uninterrupted operation is important, and battery backup ensures the attendance system continues to work even during power outages. When it comes to solar-powered options, they are environmentally friendly, and reducing reliance on traditional power sources helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint. Also, by lowering electricity bills in the long run, as they use renewable energy, solar-powered systems are a cost-effective choice. Battery backup or solar power helps the system deploy in remote or outdoor locations where power connections are limited.
    • Real-Time Syncing with Central Dashboard:
      Instant data access enables HR and managers to access live attendance data faster without delays or gaps. Live access to attendance and employee data helps make informed decisions regarding staffing, resource allocation and compliance faster. It is important to obtain a unified and comprehensive view of all employee check-ins and check-outs, and a central dashboard integrates data from multiple attendance points.
    • Integration with Payroll or ERP:
      Attendance systems need to be integrated with payroll or ERP systems, which allows smooth data transfer, reducing the need for manual input and minimising errors. Through integration, payroll calculations get automated on real-time attendance data, ensuring accurate pay based on working hours, overtime and leave.

      Not just that, a significant amount of business time can be saved, thereby reducing the administrative costs associated with manual data entry. Improved accuracy and real-time updates on late arrivals and leave requests are reflected in the payroll instantaneously.
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      Why Choose AIED SA For Your Attendance Solutions?

      AIED is the best MATRIX distributor in Saudi Arabia, providing an AI-based attendance system that offers fast, accurate and efficient attendance management. Our solutions integrate effectively with your existing HRMS, payroll or ERP systems, thus automating data flow and minimising manual errors. Along with improving operational efficiency, we offer a hygienic, contactless attendance system that reduces health risks in high-traffic environments like construction sites. AIED SA's attendance systems offer real-time data syncing with a central dashboard. It helps provide immediate insights for HR and administrative tasks. Our solutions are highly scalable and grow with your company's needs.

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      Conclusion

      When compared with a fingerprint attendance system, a touchless attendance system in Saudi Arabia reduces manual errors and improves employee productivity. Companies can save a significant cost by minimising overtime, reducing time theft and eliminating manual processing. A user-friendly contactless attendance system enhances the overall employee experience, ensuring convenience and hygiene.

      AIED SA offers tailored attendance solutions that meet your specific business needs in the outdoor construction sites. Ready to streamline your attendance management with a Matrix ARGO face touchless attendance system? Contact AIED SA today to explore options and get a tailored consultation!

      Frequently Asked Questions

      How does a touchless attendance system work?
      By using facial recognition technology, Matrix ARGO Face capture employee attendance without physical contact.
      How does a touchless attendance system help in Saudi construction sites?
      Touchless attendance systems suit well to the harsh environmental conditions of the construction site. It ensures accurate timekeeping and prevents issues such as buddy punching or time theft.
      What issues do employees face at Saudi construction sites with fingerprint attendance machines?
      In the case of fingerprint attendance systems, with all the dust, dirt, and construction debris, they can easily get dirty and fail to function properly. When wearing gloves or having sweaty hands, construction workers find it difficult to use the fingerprint system.
      Why is a touchless attendance system better for construction sites in Saudi Arabia?
      Saudi construction sites are prone to harsh conditions such as dust, heat and humidity. Where the traditional system, such as fingerprint scanning, may fail, a touchless attendance system effectively functions.
      Can a touchless attendance system integrate with existing payroll and ERP systems?
      Yes, the touchless attendance system can integrate seamlessly with existing payroll and ERP systems to ensure accurate and automated payroll processing.