According to the American Management Association, at least 66 percent of U.S. companies monitor their employees’ internet use, 45 percent log keystrokes and 43 percent track employee emails – should you be doing the same?
Employee computer monitoring is on the rise and with it, many debates about whether it’s necessary. With cyber-security, insider threats, employee attendance, and productivity at stake, we believe it’s something worth looking into.
How Does Employee Monitoring Help Me?
With the right employee computer monitoring software, you’ll be able to keep an eye on any company device that’s on your network. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect from monitoring software:
- Track the time and amount of hours logged in
- Monitor applications used
- Monitor social media use during office hours
- Monitor employee absence
- Monitor emails sent and received
- Monitor files accessed and transfers
- Monitor external devices connected to the network
Do You Need It?
There are numerous benefits to using employee monitoring software, but for the sake of keeping this short and sweet, here are the top three benefits we believe monitoring can bring to your company.
Read the top three benefits:
1. Better Security
You may have robust anti-virus software and a well thought out cyber security strategy; however some things can’t always be protected. One way in which employee monitoring can help improve cyber security for your office is the ability for certain websites, applications and files to be tagged with an alert. That means that as soon as an employee accesses a website or application that’s prohibited, you’ll be warned immediately. It’s a great tool that not only helps prevent external threats but vitally, internal threats also.
2. Improve Productivity
Employee monitoring isn’t just about looking out for threats. It can also serve to improve productivity in the workplace. With the right software, you can track attendance and productivity based upon websites and applications you deem productive or not.
Time spent on websites or applications during working hours will be tracked, and a productivity score can be calculated. You’ll soon identify who’s working and who’s updating their Facebook status.
3. Boost Workplace Morale
Monitoring isn’t just about detecting who’s working and who’s not. It’s also an excellent tool to see who’s working too hard and where employees can be assigned in a more productive manner.
Let employees know if they’re getting work done on time, and free up their time should they be putting in too much overtime. It’s crucial that employees who are doing their part for the company are recognized.
Your turn
Which benefits have you got out of employee monitoring? Let us know in the comments!