For some people, employee monitoring is associated with an annoying boss constantly standing on his head. Is he as scary as they make him out to be? Let’s figure it out.
What is employee performance monitoring?
It is a way that employers can track the activities of employees and their involvement in tasks. A business that uses special monitoring programs always knows the answers to questions:
- Are employees active or inactive during the day?
- How much time do they spend on the Internet?
- Do they play online games or browse Facebook during paid hours?
- What apps do they use, and how much time do they spend on them?
The main purpose of employee monitoring is to collect data on user activity that does not lead the company to its goals. The head sees the finished reports in his account from a computer/phone or receives them in the mailing list by e-mail.
In addition to the head, managers of departments and teams get access to reports. It allows you to implement a multi-level personnel management system, where each manager is responsible for the activities of their wards. Employees can also see the statistics of their work, analyze it and learn how to manage their working time properly.
What data does the system collect?
The program keeps track of time and tracks overtime, lateness, early dismissals, absenteeism, coffee breaks or smoke breaks, and going for a walk in the middle of the working day. All data is included in reports and visualized as graphs and charts.
Using a computer
Information is recorded about all open sites and programs, indicating how much time people devoted to working when the computer was inactive and which applications were used most often. By dividing resources into three groups: productive, unproductive, and neutral, it’s easy to see where time is wasted and identify productive hours.
Time of meetings, breaks
Employee work monitoring systems show when and how long the staff was absent from the workplace and what they were doing: working with documents, attending a meeting or a smoke break, solving personal issues, etc. Monitoring offline activity is activated after 3 minutes of inactivity with the mouse or keyboard (You can change the interval for yourself).
Breach of discipline
Some programs start automatically when the computer is turned on — this will be the time of the first working activity. Even if the manager is not in the office, he will see when the employee has taken up duties later than expected. The same applies to early departures, days off, and weekends — all information is automatically recorded in the time sheet.
Completed tasks
In addition to tracking time and productivity, some employee monitoring systems allow you to create projects and tasks. Therefore, the manager sees not only the “closed” status but also execution statistics, including online/offline time and visited sites/programs/applications.
How to choose a monitoring solution?
Here is a checklist template. You can expand it or use it as is. It will help you choose a system for monitoring employees’ work according to your needs.
What do employees think about monitoring?
According to the AIN survey, about 60% of users are neutral about the employee performance monitoring system. 14.6% said that this practice positively affects the quality of work and helps them do more.
A negative attitude was noted by 27.6% of specialists. For the majority of respondents, monitoring is evidence of distrust in employees. Some report the presence of stress and decreased performance.
Often a negative attitude towards innovation is formed due to incorrect communication. If the manager did not warn the staff about establishing such a system and quietly began to record activity, he risks losing the team’s trust. Managers can eliminate even the biggest fears of employees by being honest and open with them. Before implementing a monitoring program, ensure that staff understands what is expected, what statistics are good, and what needs improvement. What happens if the system detects unproductive activity?
4 ways to get employees to say “yes” to monitoring
With proper communication, managers can implement employee monitoring without negatively impacting the work environment. To motivate staff to monitor, use the following set of basic guidelines.
Create steering groups
As with any innovation, there must be people who have understood the issue, tested the product, and are ready to convey its value to others.
Develop a computer usage policy and ask employees to sign it
The document should include rules for general use, the Internet, and security. Obtaining a signed policy ensures that employees understand the expectations regarding using company-owned equipment.
Train managers first
Once the decision is made, start training management teams. If you’ve worked with a development company to deploy an employee monitoring system, arrange for their employee to demonstrate the product.
Instruct managers to present the solution to their teams
Consider developing a presentation or short video that they share and explain the importance of monitoring to employees. Managers can convey that this is not used to spy on employees but to increase overall productivity in the company.
Gather staff feedback and questions
The first days of use are important for communication. Create a form, if necessary — anonymous, where staff can share their impressions of monitoring.
Provide the support you need
Respond to feedback and answer questions from staff. It will help position them correctly and set them up benevolently from the first days.
Do you have any questions? Let’s take them apart!
Is it legal to control the work of staff?
It all depends on your process positioning. There are concepts of analysis of personnel work, that is, loyal observation, “from the outside”. There is a control to find “bad” employees and give them “a hat”. And there is surveillance. And if the first two somehow get along with the laws, then the last option is definitely outside the law.
Do I have to tell staff to my employees that I am monitoring their activities?
Put yourself in the place of an employee. Would you like to know? When implementing monitoring, notify staff and explain why the program is installed. A trusting and open relationship from the very beginning will positively set up your wards.
What are the benefits of employee performance monitoring?
The company will be able to eliminate the leakage of cash to pay for non-productive time and gain a deeper understanding of what your team members are doing. Monitoring employees’ work is one of the principles for building transparent cooperation, in which it is easy to manage, delegate and organize processes.
What are the disadvantages of employee performance monitoring?
Sometimes, installing a program to monitor work on a computer affects team morale. They may perceive the innovation as a symbol of distrust and an attack on confidentiality. Managers can turn this minus into a plus with proper communication.
If you have more questions, please email us: contact@yaware.com.
