Companies usually issue employee badges simply for building access purposes. However, a new breed of advanced badges are now expanding the uses of this card. An example is the Java Badge program being rolled out by Sun Microsystems. The card contains a compact version of Java technology that allows the card to be used for not only building access, but also network access and (of importance to the accountant) cashless employee purchases for such items as cafeteria meals and company uniforms. When these purchasing transactions are exported to the accounting database, they can then be processed as payroll deductions. The Department of Defense plans to roll out the Java Badge to all of its employees.
Speaking of the Department of Defense, part of the United States Navy’s Smart Ship program has been to roll out the “Navy Cash” cashless ship system. Navy Cash involves giving each sailor an ATM-style card that incorporates not only the standard magnetic stripe, but also an “electronic purse” chip that allows them to purchase virtually anything onboard the ship without using cash. By comparison, aircraft carriers used to collect 16,000 quarters per day from vending machines alone. The card’s debit feature also allows for cash withdrawals at more than 890,000 ATMs around the world.
Larger companies with corporate campuses that provide fee-based services to employees might consider the Navy’s example, not only to reduce the handling of cash, but also the associated risk of loss through cash theft.