Staff will place their finger on an electric scanner, which will convert it to a unique number. They will then touch the scanner when they arrive at or leave work. The council hopes this will help staff, especially those working at night, to feel safe.
Dean Ingledew, director of community protection at Westminster City Council, said: "We have a large, diverse workforce and as an employer we have a duty of care to know where our staff are, that they are safe and that council tax payers are getting value for money from staff who are working properly."
He added: "We hope to introduce this technology as soon as possible but this will only happen after a full consultation with staff."
However Jonathan Maud, partner at Hogan &Hartson, is unsure how positive the scheme will be. He said: "I can't see why [the council] would want to do this. It is interesting, but there is a fine line between risk assessment and invasion of privacy. Some might be unhappy having details like this kept on file."
Council plans fingerprint monitoring of staff
Westminster City council is planning to collect employees' fingerprints so it can monitor them while out of the workplace.
