Organizations all over the world are deeply concerned about their employees' work performance and overall productivity. The word 'monitoring' raises many eyebrows as it is an ethical step and offers valid points for both the parties- employer and employees.
Employers have all the rights to keep an eye on the workforce and their work to ensure that the working hours are utilized efficiently or not.
But the main concern is that the monitoring tactics create a "Big Brother" atmosphere at the workplace as the employees feel when they are under constant watch, all the time.
But still, almost every company is taking employee internet monitoring seriously these days.
Different countries have different laws, so internet monitoring might be illegal in some countries meanwhile in other countries, employers need to notify their workforce about how their web activities are tracked.
Here Are Some Of The Widely-Followed Methods For Monitoring Web Activities Efficiently-
1) Ban or restrict unwanted and distracting websites-
Employees might use their social media accounts during their working hours, which is fine until it keeps distracting them every 5-10 minutes. It can break the workflow and cause productivity loss. So, restricting such sites can ensure that the employees aren't distracted while they work. Make sure to comply with the employee monitoring ethics while monitoring their web activities.
Every employee is working from home due to the unfortunate COVID-19 SOP, but they might use the internet for their personal use as the employers won't be around to keep an eye on them. So it is essential to ban such sites. But not for the people who work in affiliate marketing, as it is their job as marketers to use social media platforms.
2) Managing Internet monitoring in stealth mode-
Few companies prefer to use monitoring software that works completely in stealth mode, and the employees are not aware of it. It can raise trust issues as their privacy gets violated, and the employees might feel the performance pressure every time.
There is also a huge probability of getting involved in legal issues if an employer misuses the software to extract personal information.
The solution to this problem is the transparency between employers and employees. Managing productivity and distractions is the key element for ensuring better results.
The Managers can also take the help of an employee internet monitoring software to eliminate the manual surveillance. Some of the most-trusted software/tools in the market are-
EmpMonitor
Tera Mind
Hubstaff
ActivTrak
Breathe
Pay Cor
CIPHR
Sage People
These tools/software will help the managers with the following features-
Tracks all the online activities of each employee
Provides screenshots at regular intervals
Helps in managing shifts
Provides employee timesheets
Records keystrokes
Tracks geo-location
Provides real-time access
Works in stealth mode
Provides data security
Cloud-based storage
Smooth project management and budgeting
Provides distraction alerts
Tracks under and over-performing employees
Detects Insider threats or any malicious activities
3) Track the overall network traffic-
Keep a regular check on the network trafficking and observe the employees' internet behavior. The things they search for, their browsing history, their pattern, etc. It will help to recognize if they are working or not. Sometimes, people leave a tab open without any activity to avoid getting detected as inactive by the software. It is a loophole but, guess what? The above-mentioned productivity monitoring software can also detect inactivity!
Another way to monitor your employees is to detach the connection with a wireless router. Simply, set up an authentication key in the wireless router's IP address on the default search bar of an office browser. It will help in blocking all the unwanted sites.
Pros and Cons Of Monitoring Employees Through a Surveillance Software
Pros:
Help to stop inappropriate behavior at the workplace that can cause waste of company's time and money, even breach of the work contract and ethics
Protects company property and confidential data against Insider threats
Maintains corporate discipline and professionalism
Cons:
Invasion of privacy
It widely affects employee morale by creating distrust by being watched by the employers all the time.
Wrapping Up:
In the end, it is always best that the employers should create acceptable internet usage policies and some ground rules that should not be compromised. Installing an employee internet monitoring software is one of the most prime methods to deal with every issue that falls under managing productivity efficiently and effectively. It is recommended to notify the new joiners about the work ethics and code of conduct so that they aren't caught off-guard.
