As software and technology advances at break-neck speeds, so does employee monitoring. One way or the other, employers have found methods (with varying efficiency) to monitor their employees. The goal is simple: measure and analyze workforce performance.
Tracking time and efficiency via any tool is a tricky task at best. Yet it makes sense from the perspective of a startup to invest in it. Time, effort, and money are all things a startup cannot afford to lose. The efficiency of employees going down is the last thing it needs. But is the hype around digital monitoring justified?
In a survey of 239 large corporations, 50% were monitoring the content of employee emails and social media accounts
An adequate application of a competent digital monitoring tool has a good Return on Investment (ROI). And it may benefit the employees and employers alike. Digital monitoring may have redefined the productivity landscape since it deployed globally. Offering an accurate description of how employees spend their time during office hours, an employer is hard-pressed for another alternative to gauge the work being done inside the office.
How Exactly Does Digital Monitoring Work for a Startup?
Time tracking motivates employees to focus on the job at hand. Monitoring specific KPIs and criteria of completion for tasks depend on analytics gathered by the digital monitoring software. If gathered correctly and analyzed in context, monitoring translates to better productivity.
Employees are keener to perform and finish the task at hand on time; if the timeline is achievable and the pace set is reasonable. The feeling of being reasonably monitored instigates a sense of accountability among workers.
Does Digital Monitoring Do Anything for the Managers?
Unsurprisingly, it does. And it shows even more when dealing with complex projects. In multi-layered projects, people in managerial roles need to under the total workload involved for every employee. The time taken for every task, workload per employee and the hours spent per task are all a necessity when every penny needs to be accounted.
With a properly implemented digitally monitoring system, a mid-level manager’s job is done partly as the employees themselves can understand how they contribute to a particular project and gain insight into how they can improve their work. An increase in awareness equals an increase in accountability. Simple!
The use of user behavior monitoring is accelerating; 94% of organizations deploy some method of monitoring users
Crowd Research Partners Survey (2017)
If Digital Monitoring is the Answer, What is the Question?
How to counter the loss of productivity? How to stop hemorrhaging profits due to declining work rate? The problem can be rephrased in words more than one. That is what monitoring endeavors to answer. It is necessary to keep track of where and how one spends their time. Once an employee is aware of distractions and how they waste their time, they can learn better ways to spend time on their work and wise up.
For smaller businesses, there is more than one reason to monitor employees. If you’re a company whose model revolves around an IP, corporate espionage is a real threat. Many startups allow a flexible workweek (or remote work altogether). Remote work has become all the more common due to the ongoing pandemic. While it does give flexibility, it also creates new challenges such as:
Employees unfamiliar with software may use the wrong settings or inadvertently create security gaps.
44 percent of cyberespionage cases are perpetrated by employees or ex-employees. Remember that it’s costing the U.S. $445 billion annually. Counter espionage by opting for XNSPY; the premier digital monitoring solution.
- Many companies that allow remote work may not furnish their employees with company-owned devices, which means the employee’s own devices are more vulnerable to security breaches.
- If a startup terminates an employee working remotely, it needs to act quickly to revoke the person’s access to sensitive information and physically collect any devices in their possession
Corporate espionage aside, there are other things employers need to keep in check. The list includes unethical and illegal activities in the workplace and the misuse of company devices and time.
The math does add up. A startup has a lot to gain from digital monitoring.
Many startups deploy employee monitoring software to give them insights into the performance such as:
- Time spent in applications deemed productive vs unproductive.
- Features or workflows that hamper work and need to be streamlined/marked for additional training on the tool.
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- Quality of customer service by reviewing interactions (email and live chat) with customers.
- Employee time spent in applications designated as productive vs nonproductive.
- Software features or workflows that may be hampering productivity and may signal a need for more training or process streamlining.
- Practicing such employee monitoring can reduce unwanted behaviors that cause small businesses to lose capital.
What Can You Do to Prevent Backlash?
Your employees should be mindful of your company’s expectations and its collection of employee performance data. Ask your employees if they have any concerns, and once they agree, have them sign an agreement stating their acceptance.
Employees who surf the internet for non-work related activities are 40 percent less productive than those who don’t. A digital monitoring solution is the way to go.
Keeping the following pointers in mind may help as well:
- Welcome feedback and improvement recommendations from employees regarding the collection of their data.
- Evaluate the use of employee performance data. Ask yourself: How does the data serve your company’s interest.
- Ensure there is no ethical breach in the collection or use of the data. Evaluate your data collection and review regularly whether collecting employee performance data is worth collecting.
Whether you’ve implemented Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or want to ensure that the devices handed out are not misused, the next logical step is to bring onboard a digital monitoring solution, such as XNSPY.
How XNSPY Can Help?
A tried and tested employee monitoring app, such as XNSPY can help you keep tabs on employees while being discreet. Corporate espionage, unethical websites, and time wastage on company-issued devices is no longer a concern.
What features come bundled with XNSPY? If its anti-procrastination features you’re looking for, the app has you covered:
- Email Monitoring
- Employee Location Tracking
- Employee Internet Monitoring
- Social Media Tracking Software
- iPhone Tracking
- Phone logs tracking
Actionable analytics are the hallmark of a good monitoring solution. Knowing what to monitor and when to be alerted is half the game. With XNSPY you can set up alerts and monitor what matters most.
- Alerts for specific locations (Geofencing)
- Alerts for certain phone contacts
- Alerts for particular email IDs
- Alerts for specific keywords
Startups Based Around Remote Workers And Mobile Employees Have Even More To Gain
If you work in a startup where you need to track employees based on their location, the vaunted GPS location tracking is for you. It offers the following features:
Track Current Location
You can see where your employees are at a certain point in time. XNSPY provides accurate current location tracking.
Trace Location History
Do you need more than just the current location details? You can trace every move with location history logs.
Monitor Specific Locations
Monitoring every move is not worth it? You can also opt to monitor specific locations with XNSPY’s geofencing feature.
Investing in digital monitoring is definitely worth the hype over it. As long as you can manage expectations, take everyone on board, and know how to quantify results, the end results will favor your startup’s lifeline — its business.
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