Trust is everything. In the workplace it gives a sense of reciprocity and shared goals. In theory. Practice around the world is dotted with examples when the focus of work in an organization slips away, naturally and quite unconsciously, unintentionally, in the name of more tempting and pleasant pursuits - surfing social networks, online shopping or gaming. A natural reflex that can be positively influenced in the name of productivity - elegantly and with respect to priorities. That's exactly what employee monitoring software was invented for.

For conspiracy buffs, let's say that this is not a Big Brother type of control, but rather a complex product that increases the degree of security of networks and at the same time stimulates the work process of employees. Virtuoso management with unbiased analysis of the work process.

In the practice of Geletron with companies of different types, we can boldly emphasize that the implementation of such solutions brings a number of benefits to all participants. An important condition, of course, is that this happens through accompanying training and a high awareness of why it is being done and what is being achieved. We also share with you in the following lines.

What is employee monitoring software?

It is a platform that tracks the work of employees on their computers. Research components can be the most diverse and can be used for analysis in various relationships - using geolocation, logging keystrokes, taking screenshots at certain intervals, video recording and even accessing web cameras installed on remote computers and much more .

The main tracking guidelines for most software are:

• tracking internet time, including. and emails (websites visited, time spent on pages, etc.) Many of the tested from U.S solutions track and log which websites or services employees spend the most time on and which are underutilized. This helps managers decide which tools and subscriptions are not being used and can be discontinued, which optimizes the organization's budget.
• recording keys (recording the keys that are typed on the keyboard). Keystroke-based monitoring is usually combined with the previous method. Some software can aggregate keystrokes and synchronize them with video recordings to form a more accurate picture of employee activity. As a result, you can see the full context of what employees have been doing.

The tools can be installed in hidden or background mode, they can be implemented with the knowledge of the employees.
Especially for large companies, for example call centers, employee monitoring products installed on company computers give full visibility and traceability of all processes. Thus, a complete profile of each of the employees is formed. Administrators can sort by productivity scale and reassign tasks. The software assumes the consideration of specifics in the behavior arising from the position. For example, sales professionals' time on social media is directly related to their activity, for HR professionals, spending many hours on LinkedIn or other job sites is key.

Performance appraisal algorithms allow people's productivity to be measured both against their past performance and against their peers in similar positions. Most of these solutions focus on tracking the activities of the specific workplace rather than specific individuals, and this does not reduce the degree of accountability.

The inclusion of video recordings and live broadcasts is likely to be the main format of work in the near future as well. However, the pandemic reality raises questions about the value of employees' time and effort, their flexibility and loyalty to the company. Answers can be found by applying relevant software solutions.

How to choose the best employee monitoring software?

There are several main criteria to base your decision on:

• Characteristic – Features are the most important part of an employee monitoring solution. It really comes down to why you want employee monitoring software. Planning to simply restrict certain websites and applications for computers on the company network? Or do you want to track and record what employees are doing online? Are you looking for employee monitoring that increases productivity or need software that specializes in security?
• Scale of business – How many employees or devices do you need to monitor? Some software is designed for teams of just five or ten people, while others are designed for businesses with hundreds or thousands of employees.
• Location – Certain software is cloud-based while others are on-premises. If you have remote employees you will need a cloud solution.
• Price – Each company offers software in a different way. Some have a monthly or annual subscription fee. Others license the software for a year and provide free updates within that period. After that, the software can be used, but not in the latest version and functionalities.
• Ease of use – Not every company has an IT team, and small business owners often manage their employee monitoring software themselves. Make sure the product is easy to use and deploy.

Most solutions offer a free trial or even a free plan with a limited number of devices. The Geletron team always recommends its customers a trial version of any software before purchase.

Popular solutions on the market

We briefly present to you the features of several employee monitoring software solutions, from the leading ones many rankings, to make your choice easier:

Teramind

Teramind is among the best solutions for employee monitoring, insider threat detection and data loss prevention. Among the main features of the platform are also analysis of user behavior, activity monitoring, auditing and compliance. Teramind has specific solutions for remote employee monitoring and vendor access management (you can give vendors limited access to network usage and see all activity).

Both cloud and on-premises solutions are available. Industries where it is most commonly applied include technology, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, energy, finance, legal and government organizations.

Veriato

Veriato has "everything you could ask for in this space". Offers cloud-based employee monitoring software that records and tracks activities such as: screenshots, website interaction, e-mail, file moves, instant messages and chats, web access, uploads and downloads, social media usage, printer tracking, USB devices, web searches. Customizes reports, can display real-time alerts when an employee tries to visit a restricted website or download a flagged program.

Corporate data theft, misconduct, and compliance violations can be caught and recorded using this software. You can deploy it incognito on Mac and Windows devices.

ActivTrak

ActivTrak is a cloud-based employee monitoring tool that specializes in performance measurement. The software analyzes all workplace activities. You get reports that help identify the hardest workers as well as the workers who are unproductive. You can also see the steps employees go through to complete tasks in real time. Allows you to set reference times for specific tasks as well.

Among the key features of ActivTrak are: website blocking, real-time monitoring, video playback, screen alerting, risk scoring, USB tracking, activity alarms, screen playback, remote installation.

It comes with a free plan for up to three users, which includes all the basic features of the software.

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is an ideal choice for managing a remote workforce. Some of the best features of Hubstaff employee monitoring include: time tracking, location, online timesheets, GPS tracking, performance measurement, detailed reports.

With Hubstaff, you can track URL and app activity, as well as activity levels based on keyboard and mouse usage on each device.

It has a mobile app that allows reporting on the go.

It is often used in industries such as cleaning, construction, consulting, real estate, healthcare, agencies, professional services, and freelancing.

InterGuard

InterGuard is among the best security enhancement solutions. Its main features can be grouped into 4 areas: employee productivity, data loss, cloud control, internal investigations.

The solution is very suitable when working with sensitive data. The software is designed to proactively respond to threat situations. You can block or report the submission of confidential data via email and web forms. It also has a remote file deletion feature. If a laptop containing sensitive files is stolen, you can remotely delete all files or folders.

StaffCop

StaffCop falls among the solutions that are almost "know-it-all" in the depth of monitoring, automation and comprehensive data. Provides real-time tracking, performance analysis and data loss prevention. It is intended to help increase employee motivation in the workplace. Suitable for small business owners.

Some of the best features of StaffCop Standard include: screen recording, keystroke logging, social network monitoring, encrypted traffic monitoring, instant message and chat monitoring, keyword search for tracking, file and folder monitoring , monitoring email, Skype, websites. You can block actions and access to specific websites, applications, or devices (such as USB memory).

More employee monitoring solutions?

We also add platforms such as Workpuls, Desktime Pro, VeriClock, Controlio, DeskTime, Workplus, SentryPC, Time Doctor, which are also worth paying attention to.

 

If you need specialized advice or want to buy a specific product, feel free to ask us. We integrate the best options for small and medium businesses.