Some workers are doing it at Dunkin' Donuts, at Hilton hotels, even at Marine Corps bases. Employees at a growing number of businesses are starting and ending their days by pressing a hand or finger to a scanner that logs the precise time of their arrival and departure ? information that is automatically reflected in payroll records. Manufacturers say these biometric devices improve efficiency and streamline payroll operations. Employers big and small buy them with the dual goals of keeping workers honest and automating outdated record-keeping systems that rely on paper time sheets. The new systems have raised complaints, however, from some workers who see the efforts to track their movements as excessive or creepy.
See "Fingerprint, palm scanners help companies track workers; some grumble about intrusion", David B. Caruso, Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 25, 2008