(Newswire.net — June 28, 2019) — With the advances of technology and digital communication, the job landscape has changed quite a bit. Apart from additional niche industries and specialized positions in the areas of computer engineering and IT, many aspects of how we do other jobs have changed as well. We have remote workers, automated processes, new and fast channels of communication, etc.
However, with these benefits come certain risks and problems. Primarily, a very widespread concern is the protection of sensitive data, but there’s also an issue of having so many employees, sometimes in many different countries, that you need to govern and organize.
One response to this rise in digitalization and the issues that closely follow is monitoring employees in the workplace.
How Common Is Employee Monitoring?
Some studies show that up to 94% of companies use some form of employee monitoring. This is a staggering number, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. With the current number of possible communication channels, the threat to information security is a concern that every business, however large or small, should take very seriously.
There are several different forms of employee tracking, including video surveillance, network and email monitoring. Another solution that is increasingly used by many companies is employee tracking software. The reason for its popularity can be found in the scope of what it can do: identify apps and websites used, track time on projects, offer productivity insights and so on.
The questions about whether or not employee monitoring software is legal are far behind us. Not even is it legal, but objective time tracking and recording is mandatory under the EU Work Time Directive. In most cases, however, employers are bound by law to give prior notice or ask for consent from their employees.
Therefore, the fact that employee monitoring is such a widely accepted practice is only an extension of the employee monitoring laws and companies’ need to protect their data and ensure the optimal work delegation and productivity.
This article will provide you with some best practises of how to implement and use employee tracking software, as a relatively new but still increasingly more common solution for comprehensive employee monitoring.
Using Employee Tracking Software to Your Benefit
To ensure compliance with the law and maximum benefits to both your company and your employees, you need to create an employee monitoring policy that will go towards fulfilling your business needs and resolving any concerns you may have.
First of all, you should be very sensitive and tactical when you talk to your employees about implementing the software. It is crucial to explain what will be tracked and how the data from employee computer monitoring software will be used.
When it comes to areas and activities you should monitor, this will depend on your needs and goals. It’s important to align those with the features you decide to use within your computer monitoring system. For instance, if you want to improve the overall productivity, you could track the use of different apps and how much time they spend on unproductive apps and websites.
If, on the other hand, you want to make sure your work is delegated appropriately and projects are finished on time, you could use a time tracking functionality to see how much time each task takes or how much time each individual employee needs for certain projects. Finally, if you need an extra layer of security, features like screenshots and keystroke trackers are what you might decide to use.
How to Use the Data Collected
Employee monitoring tools generally give you many different kinds of data, depending on which features they offer and which aspects of employees’ performance you decide to focus on. These reports are in forms of graphs, timelines or raw data.
There are a number of ways in which you can make use of this data. The basis of everything, though, is careful analysis. Knowing which data to look at and how to interpret them will help guide you towards making better decisions when it comes to task allocation, support, project planning and more. Key tip here is knowing how to look at the bigger picture. Don’t focus on every tiny detail, but try to find the patterns and the overall trends.
Another thing you can do is base employee evaluations on the data you get from employee monitoring. This data is not only objective and accurate, but it also gives the employees a clear picture of their performance.
The last point you shouldn’t forget is to carefully select who gets access to the data collected. The rule of thumb is the fewer the better. Optimally, it should be just you, as a business owner or manager, but you might also decide to share access with your HR team or other team leads.
Conclusion
Employee monitoring is on the rise, with more and more companies deciding to implement monitoring technologies such as employee tracking software. It is, therefore, of crucial importance to know how to use the data you get from these platforms to help drive your business to increased security, efficiency and productivity.