Employee Productivity Solution For Remote Workers

Remote work gives employees the opportunity to avoid lengthy commutes and work more flexible schedules. It also allows employers to reduce overhead costs and hire from a larger pool of applicants since employees no longer need to live locally to qualify.

But of course, there are some downsides to remote work as well. There are far more distractions at home, so many remote workers find it difficult to stay focused during work hours. Employers also suffer a loss of visibility into what their employees are doing, so they may not recognize when an employee needs additional coaching and guidance.

The key to successfully managing a team of remote workers is monitoring software, which is considered the best remote employee productivity solution.

How Does Monitoring Software Work?

Monitoring software is used to track remote workers digital activities on company-owned devices. It monitors and records various types of digital activities, including:

• Emails
• Instant messages
• Web site history
• Search history
• Keystroke logger
• File uploads/downloads
• Print jobs
• File transfers
• Social media usage
• Program/application usage
• Network activity
• Geolocation
• Log on/log off times
• Screenshots of employees’ devices

You can decide which employees you want to monitor and what types of digital activities you want to track. For example, you can choose to only monitor individuals in certain departments or the use of certain programs or applications.

How to Use This Software As An Employee Productivity Solution

The data collected by this software can be accessed at any time in an easy-to-read productivity dashboard. The dashboard provides you with an overview of each individual’s productivity so you can see how each member of your team ranks.

For example, you will see the total log-in time for each member on your team. But remember, the total log-in time doesn’t tell you the whole story, which is why you should always look at the other metrics on this dashboard.

The dashboard will include a graphic that shows you how much of each employee’s time was productive, unproductive, and idle. Looking at this graphic will give you a better idea of each team member’s productivity.

For example, say employee A worked 10 hours, but spent 7 of those hours on unproductive programs and websites. On the other hand, employee B only worked 7 hours, but was productive the entire time. At first glance, it may seem like employee A was more productive since they worked longer hours, but a closer look at the metrics will tell you that employee B was actually far more productive.

The dashboard also gives you the option of seeing the details of each individual’s digital activity. For example, the dashboard will provide you with a list of the websites visited and programs used by a specific employee. There is a time stamp next to each item on this list so you can also see how long the employee spent on each program or website.

Employers can use this data to better understand what remote workers are doing and measure each employee’s productivity.

What Are the Benefits of Tracking Remote Workers’ Productivity?

There are many benefits to tracking your remote workers’ productivity, including:

• Motivates Employees to Stay Focused
• Helps Managers Identify What’s Working
• Makes Evaluating Employees Easier

Motivates Employees to Stay Focused

The simple act of telling your employees that they are being monitored could lead to an increase in productivity. Employees are more likely to stay focused on work-related tasks if they know their digital activities are being recorded. This is because they know that their managers will see exactly what they are doing, so they won’t be able to make excuses if they miss a deadline or fall behind.

Helps Managers Identify What’s Working

Monitoring software helps managers identify what’s working—and what’s not.

For example, you can analyze the data to determine whether each employee is more productive in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Use this data to adjust their schedules accordingly.

You can also analyze the data to identify business processes and tasks that are taking up too much of your team’s time. Look for ways to make these processes and tasks more efficient to free up time in your team’s work week.

The data can also help you determine each employee’s strengths and weaknesses. If one employee completes a task much faster than everyone else, try to delegate these tasks to them in the future. Having this employee take on these tasks can drastically improve the whole team’s productivity.

If one employee seems to take longer than others to perform certain tasks, this could indicate that the employee needs additional training. Provide them with the help they need to become better, more productive workers.

Using the data in this manner can ramp up your remote workers’ productivity.

Makes Evaluating Employees Easier

Monitoring your employees makes evaluating their performance far easier. It takes the guesswork out of figuring out which employees are the most productive.

You won’t have to evaluate your employees based on your personal opinion of them. Instead, you can use irrefutable data provided by the software to measure their productivity and assess their performance.

Best Practices For Productivity Tracking

There are certain best practices that every company should follow when using this software as an employee productivity solution, including:

• Legal Considerations
• Confidentiality
• Transparency

Legal Considerations

The laws regarding employee monitoring vary from country-to-country and state-to-state. In the United States, there are no federal laws related to employee monitoring. But certain states do have laws that employers must comply with when monitoring their employees.

Before you start using this software, make sure you consult with a lawyer to ensure your policy does not violate any state laws.

Confidentiality

This software collects a vast amount of data related to your employees’ digital activities. If you choose to collect this data, it is up to you to protect it as well.

Keep the data secure and confidential to protect your employees’ privacy. You should only give authorized individuals such as managers and the Human Resources staff access to the data. If the data falls into the wrong hands, it could violate your employees’ privacy.

Transparency

It is possible to deploy monitoring software to company-owned devices without your employees knowing. However, if employees find out that they are being monitored without their knowledge, this could severely damage the employer-employee relationship. For this reason, it’s best to be transparent when it comes to your monitoring policies.

Put a monitoring policy in writing and distribute it to every employee within the company. This policy should be included in the employee handbook so workers each have their own copy. The policy should clearly outline who is being monitored, what activities are being monitored, and what tools you are using to monitor employees. It should also explain who has access to the data and how the data is used.

Make sure your employees understand why you are using this software. Explain how it benefits them, too. You should encourage them to ask questions and voice their concerns. If they do, be open and honest when answering their questions and addressing their concerns.

Being transparent will help your employees feel more comfortable with the idea of their activities being monitored.

What is the Best Employee Productivity Software?

Don’t let productivity suffer simply because your team is working remotely. Keep track of productivity with Veriato software, the best employee productivity solution for managers overseeing teams of remote workers. You will never have to wonder what your remote workers are doing during work hours again.

This software will provide you with insight into your team’s daily activities. Use this data to empower your employees, make smarter business decisions, and lead your team to new levels of success.

Learn more about how this software works by scheduling a demo, taking an online test drive, or starting a free trial today.