Employee monitoring has long been a contentious topic, but more and more businesses are realising the importance of implementing such a tool to protect their company’s resources and improve organisational workflow. Employee monitoring has been mistakenly associated with Big Brother at the office, but as we delve deeper into the subject, we will see that it isn’t always invasive or Big Brother-like. There are a few pieces of employee monitoring software that are specifically designed with productivity in mind and do not infringe on employees’ privacy.
What is Employee Monitoring Software?
Employee monitoring software, also known as computer monitoring software, is software that is installed on company computers to monitor and record employee activities during the workday. Such software enables company administrators to monitor all of their employees’ computers from a single location. It is typically deployed over a business network and allows administrators to view centralised reports on employee actions.
Work tracking software is used to monitor employee performance, improve organisational workflow, identify areas of abuse or malpractice, prevent illegal activities, and prevent confidential information leakage.
Why would you Need Employee Monitoring Software?
- Employees waste valuable time at work, resulting in decreased productivity:
- An employee uses his office computer for personal purposes for 90 minutes per day on average.
- During working hours, 64% of employees visit personal interest websites.
- At work, 67% of employees use social media (mostly Facebook and Instagram).
- Over 90% of the time, the lunch break is over.
- Only half of the employees are eligible for overtime.
- 60% of online purchases are made during working hours.
- Employees are responsible for 48% of security breaches.
- A company with 1000 employees loses $5 million per year if each employee wastes one working hour per day.
Conclusion: The two most important reasons for managers to monitor their employees’ computer activities are productivity and security.
Employee productivity is increased by computer monitoring software because it keeps employees focused on their tasks and responsibilities.
How to Calculate Work Productivity
- Workplace distractions Employees are distracted at work every day and every hour, which has a negative impact on their productivity. In case you’re wondering, the biggest workplace productivity killers are smartphones, the internet, social media, and emails. According to a new national survey commissioned by iQ Offices, 3 in 4 US employees (75%) face workplace distractions, while 60% of Canadians lose 2 hours per day due to distractions.
- Efficiency in operations. It is becoming easier to identify problem areas by tracking employees’ activities. How much time employees spend on specific tasks, where they get stuck and require assistance. This enables you to optimise specific parts of your organization’s workflow, or the entire workflow if necessary.
- Company assets. You can optimise resource allocation by understanding how your company’s time and resources are spent. There may be times when additional resources are required.
Security
The second most important reason managers choose an employee monitoring tool is to protect their data. Many security breaches are caused by negligent or dissatisfied employees. If sensitive company information is shared through unsecured channels, the data can be easily compromised. Consider how your brand’s reputation would suffer if your customers’ and partners’ personal information fell into the wrong hands. This could result in irreversible damage.
You can see what websites your employees visit, what applications they use, what files and documents they access, and what programmes they download if you monitor their computer activity. Any unusual or strange activity would alert you to potential security issues with a specific employee.
Before purchasing employee monitoring software, take the following steps:
Choosing to implement an employee system monitoring tool in your company is difficult, but purchasing one, like any other software these days, is even more difficult. With so many options available and so many different features, it’s difficult to make a decision and ensure you’ve found the perfect solution, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
However, before deciding to purchase computer monitoring software, there are three critical steps that every company must take.
Choosing to implement an employee monitoring tool in your company is difficult, but purchasing one, like any other software these days, is even more difficult. With so many options available and so many different features, it’s difficult to make a decision and ensure you’ve found the perfect solution, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
However, before deciding to purchase computer monitoring software, there are three critical steps that every company must take.
Step 1: Consult with your employees.
Step 2: Investigate your options.
Step 3: Develop an Employee Monitoring Policy.
Conclusion
Choose simple employee monitoring software that you can set up in minutes to begin increasing your team’s productivity. Calculate the return on your investment and don’t overspend. There are numerous options on the market at reasonable prices. Consult with your team to determine which computer monitoring software is best for you. Don’t forget to consult with your legal counsel about your country’s employee monitoring laws.
