Employee Surveillance: Striking the Right Balance with Monitoring

Employee monitoring software is used by more companies every day, from large corporations to small businesses. 43% of employees surveyed by Forbes reported being monitored at work. While surveillance has always been used in high-security environments, it began to be used more frequently during the remote work of the pandemic. 

Since then, the market has been meeting employer’s needs with a variety of solutions, some of which are more invasive in nature than others. At Prodoscore, we believe in non-invasive monitoring and transparency for the best employee engagement and, ultimately, impact on performance. 

Employee productivity monitoring (EPM) software focuses on the daily activities of individual employees rather than their device access - that is the job of network monitoring tools and other cyber security solutions. Generally, EPM solutions can measure time spent on tasks, which software solutions are being used, and, in some cases log keystrokes and take screen recordings or screenshots.

Employee Surveillance Software

This type of solution uses keystroke logging, video recordings of screen time, live session viewing, and other means to allow managers to watch what their team is doing, both in real time and after the fact. This software tends to be used in low-trust environments, such as a call center with entry-level employees, to prevent time theft. It also can be used in high security environments, such as law enforcement or cyber security, where it may be necessary for compliance purposes. 

Pro: Ideal for high-security environments, such as defense contractors or law enforcement. 

Cons: 

1. Establishes a negative culture of mistrust if used in regular office applications. 
2. Some solutions are easy to get around with mouse-jigglers or by using personal devices for company work.

Physical Employee Surveillance

Physical surveillance by managers or the use of video cameras will generally be implemented in the same high-security environments where you’ll find employee surveillance software. Physical surveillance goes beyond monitoring what your team is doing on their computer to their actions. 

Employers in low-trust environments may use this type of surveillance to monitor breaks or make sure employees are working in the office, for example. It may also be used to prevent theft in workplaces with high-value items, such as jewelry stores. 

Pro: Full monitoring capabilities over employees. 

Con: Unless there is a very good reason for it, employees will resent physical monitoring in a typical office environment. In fact, 63% of employees in an HR survey said that they would consider leaving a company that did this.

Time Tracking Software

This type of solution allows employees to self-report their time spent on various tasks and projects. Some solutions leave it there, while others employ additional levels of monitoring, such as keystroke logging. Typically, the employee will just clock in and out, and management will be able to see their activity after the fact. 

This type of solution is ideal for situations where the company is billing hours to clients, such as a law practice or a consulting firm. It is also often the least expensive of all the options, particularly if it doesn’t involve additional monitoring. 

Pros: 

1. Tracks time so managers can see how many hours have been spent on a task.
2. Makes billing out hours easier. 
3. The least expensive option if additional monitoring features are not included. 

Con: May not gather good analytics on workplace productivity and performance.

Human Resource Management Software

Some human resources management (HRM) software includes monitoring features as a part of the total package. They are usually very limited and restricted to logging hours rather than offering any additional workforce operations analytics. 

Pro: If you already have HRM software, you may not need additional time tracking solutions. 

Con: Does not offer in-depth employee surveillance or monitoring or any productivity analytics.

Employee Productivity Monitoring Software

Employee productivity monitoring software shows how, when, and sometimes what your employees are doing during their workday. Some of these types of solutions run in the background without the staff member being alerted to them. 

They differ from full employee surveillance software in that they generally do not take screen recordings or log keystrokes, although some of them do have this option. They are also more focused on gathering productivity data than simply monitoring employee activity. 

Pro: Produces actionable analytics about employee performance and work habits. 

Cons: 

1. Can lead to negative company culture if employees aren’t told about it and they find out the company is using it. 
2. Some employee monitoring solutions are sold as productivity monitoring solutions due to the more positive branding implications. 

At Prodoscore, we believe the best monitoring solution is non-invasive productivity monitoring that has full employee buy-in and participation. The businesses that come to us want to improve performance, support employee development and drive results at their companies, but not at the expense of a positive company culture and employee engagement. 

With our solution, employees have access to a productivity dashboard where they can gauge their own progress and visualize how their colleagues are contributing too. The data makes it easy for managers to coach their team members and also ensures transparent one-on-ones. Another benefit is access to a “blueprint for success” - with Prodoscore, business leaders can visualize how A players differ from B and C players and work to coach them up.

In today’s economic landscape, you absolutely need to have some kind of monitoring solution in place, at the very least just, to see what’s working and what isn’t at your business. Prodoscore is the best way to do it without sacrificing employee happiness and a positive work environment.