5 Ways To Track Employees
As an employer, you want to make sure that you are getting the most productivity from your workers. But this can be difficult. You can’t spend all day watching your employees to see if they are doing their jobs.
The good news is that you don’t have to. There are plenty of techniques that you can use to track employee performance. Keep reading to learn more about these tools so you can find the right one for your workplace.
Talk About Performance
You can set aside some time at the end of your day to talk to your employees one-on-one. Ask them what they completed during the day. Chat about the tasks they need to complete tomorrow. Find what problems they are having.
Advantages
There are a few reasons why this approach can work, these include:
- Getting to know your employees. You can learn more about each person and their style of working. Allowing you to delegate tasks more effectively.
- Creating accountability. If someone is struggling, you can quiz them on their performance. Ensuring your team knows the standards you expect from them.
Downsides
Of course, there are a few issues with this approach, including:
- Won’t be possible with larger teams. This method can be effective for smaller teams. But if you have a larger organization, it won’t be possible to talk to everyone.
- Doesn’t provide a complete picture. Talking to your employees is a good start. But these chats can be deceptive. Employees might misrepresent the amount of work they are doing.
Watching Employees
One of the most commonly used techniques is watching your employees. Glancing up from your desk to make sure that they all look busy. Checking that they all arrive at work on time.
Advantages
This approach is easy to implement. You just need to position your office in a way that allows you to overlook the workers. It’s also inexpensive.
Downsides
As you might imagine, there are some substantial problems with this approach:
- Doesn’t give you the full picture. Employees might look hard at work. But they are really playing Tetris.
- You can’t monitor employees all the time. Giving them plenty of opportunities to slack off.
- Impossible for remote workers. More people are longing for the flexibility that remote working can provide. This makes it harder to monitor them. Even if you require people to work with a webcam on, you won’t be able to see what’s on the screen.
Rely On Self-Reporting Metrics
You can implement self-reporting tools. These allow employees to tell you what they are doing. For example, you can ask employees to tell you when they arrive at work and when they leave. Or you can ask them to report they take a break.
Advantages
There are a few reasons why you might want to consider this approach, including:
- Inexpensive way of collecting data. Employers like this approach because it allows them to track employees without spending a lot of money.
Downsides
But here are some of the issues you need to keep in mind:
- Relies on employee honesty. These approaches fall apart quickly if your employees aren’t honest. Since these figures are self-reported, it can be time-consuming to check that they are accurate.
- Requires training. If you want to get results, you’ll need to train your employees on how to use this software.
Use Task Management Software
This tool is especially popular amongst people who are working from home. It allows employers to create a list of tasks. From there, employees can tick them off as they are completed. Making it easier to monitor productivity and assign tasks more effectively.
Advantages
There are a few reasons why you might consider turning to task management software:
- Simple to implement. You won’t need a lot of training to get people to understand this software.
- Keeps everyone on the same page. It’s easy to break projects into parts and delegate them accordingly.
Disadvantages
While these are a good way of managing workflow, they have a few problems when it comes to recording employee productivity. They only tell you whether someone has completed the task. They don’t take into account whether it was completed efficiently. Many of these apps require employees to self-report task completion, allowing employees to lie about their productivity.
Use Wolfeye Remote Screen To Monitor Employee Computer Activity
The best option is to use employee tracking software, like Wolfeye Remote Screen. This will provide a complete picture of how your workers are using their technology. For example, you’ll be able to remotely monitor their screen activity. Watching their screen live. Track what sites they visit and how long they stay there.
Advantages
As you can imagine, a tool is vital for employers, especially if you employ remote workers. Here are some of the reasons this can prove indispensable:
- Provides accurate data. Unlike the other methods on this list, this approach gives you accurate unbiased data. Allowing you to clearly see what your employees are doing. Making it easier to spot performance issues.
- Gathers evidence. Dealing with an unproductive employee can be tough. They might try to deny their activities or accuse you of being biased. This software allows you to take screenshots, so you have evidence to back up your claims.
- Runs undetected. This software is invisible. Your employees won’t know that you are tracking them. It won’t have any impact on device performance.
- Isn’t just for tracking employees. This software doesn’t just allow you to covertly track workers. It can come in useful for troubleshooting problems. For example, if they are having technical problems, you can see their screen. Looking at the same thing they are, giving them clear directions on how to overcome the problem.
Downsides
No employee tracking technique is perfect, here are the downfalls to consider:
- Requires you to monitor the data. Like every other tool, you’ll need to monitor employee performance. This tool makes it easier. You don’t need to watch everything in real time. You can record a video of screen activity. Playing it back later.
Final Thoughts
Tracking employee performance is key. You want to make sure that all your workers are as productive as possible. Not just pretending to do work, while spending their time on social media. Though there are plenty of ways to track performance, good employee monitoring software is your best bet.
