There has been a lot of debate regarding whether companies should or shouldn’t track their employees’ computer use while they’re working. On one hand, you have people claiming it is a form of spying and that it is a threat to employees' privacy. On the other side you have people who are advocates of computer monitoring software.
The reasons to monitor your employees are numerous, and they go from those which aren’t good, such as monitoring because of mistrust, all the way to more legitimate ones, like securing company’s data. Today we’ll talk about the latter, and explain why every business should use an employee monitoring software. But, before we do, we should first explain what it is, and how it works.
What is Employee Monitoring Software?
PC monitoring software is a tool you can install on all computers within your company, and it tracks how your employees spend time at work. Usually, it tracks which apps and websites they’re using, and how much time they’re spending using them. You, as an admin, can categorize these apps and websites as productive, neutral and unproductive in order to measure employees’ daily productivity.
Additionally, there are types of monitoring software which are security-oriented. These software can log keystrokes, scan emails for malware, track any sort of malicious activities, and even record employees’ screens.
The software typically has two parts – dashboard and an agent. The agent is the peace of the software you install on employees’ computers, and the dashboard is where you can see all the data, set up tracking parameters and other settings.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can see why you should be using an employee monitoring software.
Securing Company’s Data
Data breaches, whether they’re intentional or not, happen all the time. And you might be thinking it’s never going to happen to you… Until it does. And then you have to go through a lengthy and expensive process of damage control.
When you’re using a monitoring software you can stay ahead of these breaches, especially if you’re using one of those security oriented apps. They can send you alerts if employees access certain files or sites, giving you an opportunity to react on time.
Measuring and Improving Employees’ Performance
As we mentioned in one of the previous sections, employee monitoring software can track productivity, therefore tracking employees’ performance. You should measure this data every day, and analyze it from time to time, depending on the size of your company.
The analytics dashboard will show you unusual changes in productivity, and you can use this data in multiple ways. You can call the employee in question for a meeting to discuss the reasons their performance wasn’t so satisfactory. In most cases, this is just a temporary setback, and things will change in no time.
You can also use this data as a part of regular employee evaluations, or as a basis to determine if your workers might need additional training for software they’re using.
Fair Payroll and Accurate Billings
Computer monitoring software can serve you as a clock-in device as well. Once the employees start their computers, the software will detect activity, and when the computer is turned off it will count as a clock-out. Not only will this help you comply with local labour laws, but it will also help you give your employees fair payments (especially for overtime hours).
Furthermore, if you’re charging clients by the hour, you’ll always know exactly how many minutes your team has put into their projects. Therefore, you’ll be able to create accurate invoices and get fair payments for the work you’ve done. With the data the software collects, you can also show your clients proof of work, so there’s no way you’re getting paid less than you deserve. For fair payroll businesses also look for software providing Complete payroll solutions.
Wrap Up
If you’re on the verge of deciding whether you need the employee monitoring software, these reasons should be enough to convince you to get one right away. And the best thing is that you can find affordable solutions which won’t empty your pockets.
