Monitoring employee behavior doesn’t mean you don’t trust your employees. Rather, it provides you with the data you need to empower your employees to do and feel their best.
Employee productivity tracking helps you see what tools are most effective, what times of day prove most productive, and get an overall picture of how and when your employees work best. This information will allow you to create an optimum environment and toolkit to bolster productivity.
Monitoring software assists in tasks like timekeeping and attendance tracking to give you accurate information instead of relying on reports that are subject to human error.
The very fact that employees know they are being monitored usually helps minimize distractions and inappropriate conduct. Being transparent with monitoring practices can encourage productivity – and increase employee confidence in resolving problems thanks to the accuracy of collected data.
Be responsible. Set limits If employees are being monitored, it keeps the door wide open for communication. Productivity issues are flagged quicker, so they can be addressed immediately. It also makes evaluating employees easier, which encourages more frequent conversations about performance – rather than one dreaded annual review.
Each state and country has different monitoring and privacy laws and regulations. Talk with your legal counsel about those considerations before customizing an employee productivity tracking plan.
Be open with your employees about your organization’s tracking methods. Make it clear that their actions are subject to monitoring and explain the benefits of it.
Keep the data you collect secure, and confidential. Restrict access to only those who need to review it – and only make it available at those review times.
Only monitor corporate data, not personal material such as social media or online banking access. Don’t single any person or protected group (age, race, gender, etc.) for monitoring.
Thousands of companies deploy Veriato software to monitor employee productivity. We provide analytics and tracking tools to measure different aspects of employee behavior. Deploy Veriato to get a better picture of your organization’s day-to-day behavior and create high-level reports, which you can use to improve productivity and empower your employees.
An employee productivity tracker provides many benefits to both the company and employees.
For employees, it means an increased level of autonomy is possible. Managers can set tasks and remotely observe, allowing employees to fully focus on their job without unnecessary interruptions. As managers only need to get involved when actually necessary, productivity increases and staff ‘feel’ less under pressure. Yet, the simple fact that they know they are being recorded will mean that most stay on task and work in more efficient ways.
Efficiency will also benefit from the introduction of employee productivity tracking. Not only do employees ‘step up their game’, but processes can be effectively streamlined from the data provided. Tracking productivity helps to identify bottlenecks in processes. By removing these issues, the involved staff becomes less stressed and frustrated, and overall production efficiency increases.
While finding the problems is a major factor, it is also important to find out what is already working well. By analyzing the data and reports from employee monitoring software, companies can see which areas are working best. This can work for software and other tools to see what is hindering staff and what is helping them to excel. However, it can also identify times of the day that are more productive for each staff member and as an overview. By knowing who is more productive at different times of the day, work processes, daily schedules, and even work shifts can all be adjusted to maximize productivity.
All of this is then wrapped up with better communication in the workplace. Managers can address issues, discuss changes, and even review staff regularly with accurate data, introducing a level of ownership and responsibility to all staff. It also allows for rewards to be fairly distributed, such as pay increases, promotions, and more.
Introducing a productivity tracker for employees can seem like a daunting step to some employers.
The first step is to learn the laws in your area regarding employee and workplace monitoring. Don’t just jump in and introduce tracking without any idea about local laws. Talk to a lawyer about what you should, could, and can’t track in the workplace. Most lawyers have a good understanding of these laws, which is vital, especially as they vary from state to state.
Once you have the legal side down, you need to plan a little about what you want to track. While you may want to know everything about your staff, try to imagine things from their point of view. After all, you want them to be on board with this. Be sure to keep the recorded information focused on company issues, respect the privacy of employees (such as finances and social media websites), and don’t target any groups negatively.
Once you are ready to introduce tracking and are armed with the knowledge you need, it is time to bring in a productivity tracker for employees transparently. This means having a meeting with all affected employees, explain how things will work and what won’t be included. You should also allow staff to share feedback, concerns, or suggestions, allowing them to participate in the change-over process.
It helps if you explain the reasons for productivity tracking. While it may seem obvious to you, the staff may not see it the same way. In this case, explaining that managers won’t be breathing down necks anymore and that reviews will be more accurate can help to alleviate concerns. If you don’t already have a reward system in place, be sure to introduce one.
At the end of the day, using a productivity tracker for employees increases the efficiency of staff, streamlines work processes, and improves focus. The information provided also allows for open and frequent communication based on facts and working towards improvements. If done right, employee tracking can benefit employees, management, and the overall business.
Monitoring employee behavior doesn’t mean you don’t trust your employees. Instead, it provides you with the data
Companies should be transparent about how they will use an employee work productivity tracker to monitor employees. Including monitoring provisions in the employee handbook is one of the best ways to ensure employees (and new hires) understand the policies and procedures of the company as it relates to monitoring. An employee work productivity tracker can benefit both employees and the company when used effectively. How can software benefit team members?
For employees, productivity tracking is beneficial because:
Utilizing an employee work productivity tracker also benefits employers and helps managers understand how employees are utilizing their time during the day. For employers, software:
An employee work productivity tracker is an invaluable asset to ensure that team members are utilizing work hours for work instead of wasting the hours on personal and recreational tasks. Since many employees admit to being productive for less than half the workday, the software provides a level of personal accountability to stay on task and focus on company goals.
Employee productivity monitoring software helps you see what tools are most effective, what times of day prove most productive, and get an overall picture of how and when your employees work best. This information will allow you to create an optimum environment and toolkit to bolster productivity.
When employers utilize employee productivity monitoring software, they may begin to see patterns among specific employees or internal teams. One employee may constantly waste time on social media, while another is overworked and carrying all the responsibility.
The software provides data that employers need to make changes that influence productivity. The data enables managers to create a dialogue with employees about time management and what is or what isn’t acceptable during work hours. Without the data from employee productivity monitoring software, proving that an employee is wasting time is incredibly difficult.
Data captured by the software reveals all activities during the workday. Every web site visited and email sent is captured. If an employee is job hunting on company time, managers can prove it with the software data.
However, data can also show trends that influence company policies and decisions. Maybe certain months are incredibly slow for specific teams or team members. This may indicate that managers need to restructure workload or push new business initiatives.
Data from employee productivity monitoring software could even reveal that everyone is overloaded, and the company may need to add more members to the team.
Employee productivity software assists in tasks like timekeeping and attendance tracking to give you accurate information instead of relying on reports that are subject to human error.
Hourly employees may clock in and clock out. Those time cards don’t show their workload or highlight task completion. Employee productivity software fills in the time card gaps to reveal how every hour was spent during that eight-hour day.
This means that managers can better understand employees’ contributions to the team, and that information can be used to assess employees during yearly reviews better. Managers who wish to promote specific employees can use software to better understand how they use their time.
An employee may seem like a go-getter around managers, but data from employee productivity software may reveal that they are all talk and no action. Maybe that stellar employee likes to post on social media during the day or message friends. Data can help employers better understand which employees are true assets and which ones are dragging down the company.
Software also could show that a quiet employee—one who may not speak up or aggressively contribute—might be one of the most productive. They may be doing much more to boost the company than their quiet demeanor suggests. The software also can show superstars in hiding and help employers make better use of their talents.
The very fact that employees know they are being monitored usually helps minimize distractions and inappropriate conduct. Being transparent with monitoring practices can encourage productivity – and increase employee confidence in resolving problems thanks to the accuracy of the collected data.
Companies can motivate employees to be more productive by incentivizing productivity time. Each month, the company can use data from the software to reward the most productive team or team member. Celebrate the team with a catered lunch or gift cards!
Be responsible. Set limits. If employees are being monitored, it keeps the door wide open for communication. Productivity issues are flagged quicker, so they can be addressed immediately. It also makes evaluating employees easier, which encourages more frequent conversations about performance – rather than one dreaded annual review.
It isn’t uncommon for employees to have downtime during slow months. If downtime or excessive time waste seems to be a habit, then companies can pull the employee aside to emphasize company policies.
The information gained from monitoring software also makes the yearly review much easier for employers. Data provides proof of employee time management and reveals who is dedicated to their job and the company.
Not sure if monitoring software is right for your company? Start your free trial today!
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