Using Technology as an Employee Monitor

Years ago, it was relatively simple for a supervisor to determine if an employee was working hard. Often, there was quite literally a paper trail of accomplishments – memos, reports, miscellaneous paperwork neatly tucked away in file folders, etc. If employees were wasting time during the workday chatting with friends or family, it was obvious since that communication had to be done over the telephone, often within earshot of a supervisor or manager. But, as well all know, today’s workplace is a far cry from the way things were years ago.

Today, it’s possible for employees to be wasting a tremendous amount of time during the workday without his or her supervisor ever knowing it at all. “Cyberloafing,” or spending time on the Internet doing personal tasks at work, has become a widespread problem in the modern office. In fact, some studies suggest that workers spend as much as 25% or more of each day at work engaged in cyberloafing. Just imagine what this is costing your company!

If you’re a business owner or manager looking for a solution to this problem, why not use technology itself to resolve it? Avoid any product that claims to block websites, since these are usually ineffective in business. It’s a waste of time trying to block websites since you can very easily block sites that your employees need to do their jobs. Software that acts as an employee monitor is perfect – as long as you are honest with your employees and make sure they know you’re using this type of product. Be sure to choose software that monitors which sites are visited by employees and measures the time they spend in productive activities. That way, you can develop ways to motivate your workers to increase their productivity over time.