You must carefully consider your management strategy, employee privacy, and the efficacy of the technologies you choose if you choose to deploy employee monitoring technology throughout your company. You can only accomplish your strategic objectives by doing that. The crucial question still stands: How can employee monitoring be implemented without jeopardizing your workforce’s dedication and trust in the process?
Monitoring of Employees is Characterized
Monitoring employees is nothing new. In actuality, businesses have always tracked and monitored employee performance using a variety of techniques. The rise of remote work and the development of strong technology like keystrokes logger that can track employee activities in novel and creative ways, however, have revitalized the discussion on this subject.
What is Employee Monitoring?
Employee monitoring is the process of keeping tabs on workers’ whereabouts and actions. Different types of technologies are used by businesses to carry out this operation. Other names include “employee monitoring software such as Controlio,” “corporate surveillance,” “employee productivity monitoring,” “screen capturing,” and many others because this technology focuses on productivity and monitoring aspects.
From the discussion above, it is quite essential to establish that employee time tracking and employee monitoring systems are not the same. Actually, time tracking is not employee monitoring; rather, it is time monitoring and/or project time monitoring.
Max Freedman, a contributor for Business News Daily, says that time and attendance software is one type of employee tracking technology that is frequently viewed as a completely distinct set of capabilities. “Systems for tracking and monitoring employees have further significant uses. According to Freedman, their primary objectives are to stop internal theft, assess worker productivity, make sure business assets are being used properly, and gather proof for any future legal actions.
Employee Monitoring Techniques Used Today
Businesses can now follow their employees in a variety of advanced ways thanks to technology. Businesses currently have many choices to keep an eye on the general performance and conduct of their staff, from high-definition cameras and intelligent devices (such bracelets that can map mobility) to keyboard monitoring and keystroke recording.
Some of the most often used techniques for employee monitoring that businesses use nowadays to keep tabs on their workers’ activities are as follows:
- Video surveillance
- Key cards
- Network surveillance
- Email tracking
- Software for employee monitoring
- Geofencing and GPS tracking
- Social media tracking, application monitoring, and website surfing
- Applications for project management
Businesses employ this technology in a variety of ways. Reid Blackman, CEO of the ethical risk consultancy Virtue, for example, describes how Hubstaff uses random screen capture that can be tailored for each individual in an HBR article on employee monitoring, while Teramind records keyboard activity and utilizes that data to produce user-based behavior analytics.
“The biggest challenge is that the concept of ‘productivity’ is highly context specific,” said Helen Poitevin, a vice president analyst in the Gartner HR practice. These systems often measure the amount of time spent on tasks (such as tracking log-in, mouse or keyboard movements, etc.) and how those tasks change over time, which isn’t a reliable way to gauge an employee’s performance.
The Conundrum of Employee Surveillance
There are two sides to the debate over employee monitoring: proponents and opponents. In this contemporary dispute, which mostly concerns the employment of software to monitor remote workers, proponents and opponents each have their own points of contention. Let’s examine some of their justifications.
The Advocate’s Perspective
Should remote workers be monitored by their employers via software? “Companies have many legitimate, practical reasons for using software to monitor employees working at home,” says Baskaran Ambalavanan, SHRM-SCP and founder of Hila Solutions LLC. The following are a few of those reasons:
- Monitoring worker productivity
- Keeping data theft at bay
- Protecting business property
- Keeping workers safe
- Rewarding workers
Employee monitoring is essential to the survival of certain industries. Insider trading is prohibited by regulation in the banking industry. According to Sara Riso, Research Manager at Eurofund, “such monitoring can offer protection to employees who are working in hazardous conditions or who have to deal with asocial behavior in public facing occupations.”
Technology for employee monitoring has many more benefits than just increased productivity and security. Reporter Jodi Kantor of the New York Times claims that proponents of employee monitoring not only think that the workplace has evolved into a measurement tool, but also that new technology increases transparency and helps employers better manage by enabling them to see exactly what employees are doing and when.
It’s crucial to note that a large number of workers support employee monitoring systems, not just businesses and software developers. Kantor describes an Operations Associate in her special study, The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score, who longs for more tracking since she believes a teammate is performing far less than she is. To put it another way, employee monitoring is regarded as a useful instrument for accountability.
Numerous supporters also draw attention to the role that employee surveillance has played in the modern workplace. An intriguing statement from Elizabeth Harz, CEO of employee monitoring company Awareness Tech, is shared by Phil Albinus, former HR Tech Editor for HRE, in his article about employee monitoring: “Employee monitoring has enabled millions of workers to enjoy work-from-home and hybrid work while executives can ensure that people are adhering to the company’s standards.”
Lastly, some professionals think that improvements in staff monitoring could benefit management. It is hoped that improvements in employee monitoring would enable a workforce that is far more autonomous and does not require regular supervision from managers or co-location. Additionally, workers’ efforts can be evaluated using more objective criteria thanks to these new monitoring systems. Thus, it is possible to limit administrative prejudices (with regard to specific worker groups), according to Michel Anteby, a professor at Boston University.
