Source: Work Examiner
In most offices nowadays employees spend the majority of their time working on their computers and performing task or communicating and collaborating with others. As an employer however you may find it difficult to track exactly how your employees are spending their time on their computers – which is where computer monitoring software comes in.
Essentially computer monitoring software will provide you with a way to find out what your employees are doing on their computers. Although it does raise privacy issues, at the end of the day it is perfectly within an employer’s rights to track how employees are using their work computers – and more importantly, there are several benefits of doing so:
Monitor time that is being wasted
It is often surprising to find out just how much time is being wasted by employees using their work computers for personal purposes – either to chat with their friends and family, browse social media, watch online videos, or do anything else for that matter. By monitoring the activities of your employees, you can track the time that is being wasted and take action to nip it in the bud if necessary so that it doesn’t become a problem or affect productivity.
Prevent abuse of company resources
When employees know that there is computer monitoring software tracking their actions, they are less likely to abuse company resources – not just to browse the internet for personal tasks, but also download personal files. In this way the monitoring software itself can act as a preventive measure that reduces time being wasted, or company resources being spent on personal activities. Often it is best to be public about the monitoring and inform employees of it so that they are aware and adjust their activities accordingly.
Reduce the risk of data leaks
For many companies it is important that data about their business, plans, and other sensitive information doesn’t leak and reach their competitors or other parties. Nowadays that can be difficult however as it is easy for employees to transfer files and information via email, instant messaging, and other means. With computer monitoring you can reduce this risk, and track down and identify the source of any leaks so that appropriate action can be taken.
As you can see the benefits of monitoring employee activities make it worth considering. The only downside is the negative connotations that come with ‘tracking’ employees’ activities. That is why it is important that any monitoring that is carried out is completely above the board, and employees are informed of it in advance.
Now that you understand the benefits of monitoring, you should also see that being upfront about it is the best policy. Not only will it help you to avoid any privacy concerns, but it will also make the monitoring a more effective preventive measure that can cut down on time wastage and increase productivity. All in all it is something that every employer should carefully consider, as it could prove to make a substantial difference to their workplace.
