The Banking Giant Demands Fingerprint or Eye Scans for Main Office Entry
The financial institution has told personnel working at its new headquarters in New York that they are required to share their biological identifiers to gain entry the multi-billion skyscraper.
Change from Optional to Required
The financial firm had previously planned for the collection of physical identifiers at its new high-rise to be voluntary.
Yet, employees of the US's largest bank who have started operations at the corporate hub since this summer have received emails stating that biometric access was now "mandatory".
How Biometric Access Works
The new entry system requires personnel to submit their fingerprints to gain access access portals in the lobby rather than scanning their access passes.
Office Complex Information
The corporate tower, which apparently required an investment of three billion dollars to construct, will ultimately act as a base for ten thousand employees once it is fully occupied later this year.
Protection Reasoning
JP Morgan declined to comment but it is understood that the employment of biometric data for entry is designed to make the premises safer.
Special Cases
There are special provisions for some employees who will continue to have the option to use a badge for access, although the criteria for who will use more conventional entry methods remains unclear.
Supporting Mobile Applications
Complementing the introduction of physical identifier systems, the bank has also released the "Corporate Access" mobile app, which functions as a virtual ID and hub for employee services.
The app enables employees to manage visitor access, explore indoor maps of the building and schedule food from the facility's 19 on-site dining vendors.
Broader Safety Concerns
The implementation of tighter entry controls comes as business organizations, particularly those with major presence in NYC, look to increase security following the attack of the top executive of one of the US's largest health insurers in summer.
The CEO, the boss of UnitedHealthcare, was killed in the incident not far from the financial district.
Additional Office Considerations
It is unclear if the financial firm intends to deploy biometric access for employees at its locations in other major financial centres, such as London.
Employee Tracking Developments
The move comes during debate over the use of digital tools to observe staff by their companies, including monitoring workplace presence.
Earlier this year, all JP Morgan workers on flexible arrangements were told they must return to the workplace on a daily basis.
Management Commentary
The organization's head, Jamie Dimon, has characterized the bank's recently opened skyscraper as a "beautiful physical manifestation" of the institution.
The executive, one of the global financial leaders, lately alerted that the likelihood of the US stock market crashing was significantly higher than many financiers thought.
