HSBC doubling number of biometric access control readers at new UK office

HSBC plans to add more cameras and access control systems to its global offices, requiring biometric verification, such as palm scanning, for access to the bank’s top-tier buildings.

The financial institution is among an increasing number of companies introducing employee tracking technology for white-collar workers as more organizations curtail work-from-home arrangements. The trend, however, is attracting concern from regulators and resistance from employees.

As part of its security strategy, HSBC is planning a fourfold increase in the number of cameras at its new office at 40 Bank Street in London, not far from its old global headquarters in Canary Wharf. The office will be equipped with more than 1,750 cameras and nearly 780 biometric readers, up from 350 at its previous location, according to an internal document obtained by Reuters.

The introduction of biometric access control is reportedly causing some resistance among members of HSBC staff: Most employees are expected to use personal mobile phones with a firm-installed software on them to gain access. The bank has previously introduced a biometric and digital access policy for its UK employees, which most of the UK staff had yet to adhere to, per Reuters.

Other companies are experiencing similar sentiments. Already in 2020, a survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a London-based association for human resource professionals, showed that 73 percent of employees feel that introducing technologies to monitor the workplace would damage trust between workers and their employers.

In 2022, the UK-based Trades Union Congress warned that worker surveillance tech and AI risks “spiralling out of control” without stronger regulation to protect workers. According to its survey, the greatest proportion of workers reporting surveillance was in the financial services (74 percent).

And in 2023, another survey by the country’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) revealed that 70 percent of people would find monitoring in the workplace intrusive.

Last year, the data watchdog warned community and fitness center operator Serco Leisure that facial recognition and fingerprint biometrics cannot be used to monitor employees’ time and attendance. The warning inspired other organizations, including Virgin Activ, to review or abandon the technology.

The ICO has also published guidance for businesses considering implementing biometrics that builds on a previously released biometric employee management primer.

Despite these moves, the industry of monitoring the workforce is growing globally: The employee monitoring software (EMS) market is forecast to grow to US$4.5 billion by 2026, data from IndustryArc shows.

Whether companies can force employees to use the systems they have bought is another issue and one that depends on more factors. Workers may be more likely to accept the technology due to a slowing economy and fewer jobs, according to experts quoted by Wired.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  video surveillance  |  workforce management