Since the advancement in technology, many companies have purchased and used employee monitoring software. The application has been proven worthwhile in improving employee productivity and efficiency. This year also, it is nothing different, but even better. However, with so many companies developing Employee monitoring applications, it can be overwhelming to pick the best one for your organization without any prior knowledge. So, today we will be aiding you with the list of The Best Employee tracking Software for 2024.
The Features of a Good Employee Monitoring Software
Before you pick the top employee tracking software, you must know what encompasses a good employee tracking application. For such information, the quality of the features matters and not the quantity. Moreover, you also need to know which ones are useful for your organization. Commonly, these software products have these features.
Live screenshot capturing: This is a very useful feature. Especially in IT companies where proper research is key to success. The software takes screenshots of URLs visited from time to time at fixed intervals. This will help you:
- Which websites were browsed and for how long?
- Are the websites visited useful?
- Is any employee trying to give confidential data to competitors?
Based on this data, you can calculate accurate performance metrics and see how your employees are doing in terms of efficiency and productivity.
Employee browser history checking: Another useful feature every employee monitoring software must have is that it must automatically check employee browser history. This data will let you know:
- Which staff or team member is efficient and productive and visits more productive, and useful websites and pages?
- Who among your staff is doing more time pass. I.e. Who is doing less work than marked efficiency and productivity?
Mobile Application: A must-have feature for any employee monitoring software is that it must have a mobile version. Why? Because smartphones and other portable devices are useful in life and they aid us in our daily routine. However, they also are the major distractions at work. How?
- Even if you set a time of using social media and games on your phones for a limited time, you won’t know when you exceeded that time.
- Doing so will result in poor performance.
On the other hand, the mobile version of the employee monitoring software will track and record call logs, games, and other smartphone application usage. Plus, it will also keep an automatic log of the live location of your team members.
Automatic attendance management: The application synchronizes the biometric and system login and logout times of employees, marking the attendance and calculating the total time spent in the office. This data will let you know about:
- The punctual employees (punch in and leave on time), unpunctual employees (latecomers and early goers), and extra dedicated employees (brilliant ones who come early and leave late).
Based on this data, you can properly assign resources and tasks to employees, increasing efficiency and productivity. As per studies, this boost in productivity is around 40 to 50%.
Simple user interface: Like any other software, screen tracking applications must also have a simple and easy-to-access user-friendly interface. The tool must be easy to use and the manager must be able to get accurate data within a few clicks.
- For some applications, the functions are simply automatic. I.e., once you start the program, it gets going with the tracking.
In other words, you as a manager get complete control of the monitoring and tracking.
Enterprise-level security: These applications are also supposed to keep the collected employee data secure. Usually, via end-to-end encryption.
Time Management: It’s a clear fact that those who manage their time properly get more success than those who don’t. To assist them with properly organizing their time, tracking applications have a useful feature, which does the task within a few clicks.
- Break down projects into tasks.
- Manage these tasks with a timer and timeline.
- Easily fit new projects and tasks into the time blocks.
- Complete projects within deadlines. You can easily manage, update, and track their status with ease of access.
Flexible Dashboard: Usually, all of these applications have flexible online dashboards from which managers can easily access every log and record. HRs can also:
- Track attendance.
- Track, manage, approve, and disapprove leave applications.
- Optimize HR processes of hiring, payroll creation, promotion management, termination notice creation assistance, and much more.
Data visualization: Understanding visual data is easier for us as human beings. That’s why employee screen monitoring applications present performance metrics in charts, diagrams, graphs, and other visually appealing forms.
- The software presents the data in a clear and organized form, which is easy to read.
- Accurate performance metrics are shown in categories, such as minimum work hours, productive users, and unproductive users.
- You also get a time graph with various useful metrics.
Auto scheduling: Managers can auto-schedule the tasks of their employees for the day. This helps them save valuable time for their important work.
- Employees can check and manage their tasks effectively.
- Ask for more resources, if needed.
- Get their tasks rescheduled, if needed to meet the deadline.
- Managers and employees can track project and task status with ease of access.
- Employees and managers can manage the optimal workload without overburdening themselves.
Other than these features, some applications also have additional features such as URL Tracking, work and idle hours generation, payroll, productivity calculator, and much more. However, each staff monitoring application has more or less of the features we discussed.
Benefits of Using Employee Screen Trackers
The question is why do we need employee monitoring software? Now, you already know, that companies who have used employee monitoring applications have experienced productivity boosts of around 40 to 50 percent. However, there are more advantages to implementing employee screen-tracking software in your organization.
Hold employees accountable: When managers can closely monitor their employees’ activities, they can hold them responsible for doing or not doing work. Overall, a sense of accountability is instilled in employees, creating a more efficient work environment, where procrastination and unproductive behavior are just mere words.
Enhanced efficiency: With screen trackers, you not only track your employees. However, also find obstructions in the way of meeting deadlines. Managers can evaluate these metrics, reallocate tasks, and resources to improve efficiency to perfection.
Data security: Employee monitoring applications act like cops against security breaches and threats. The applications keep data secure and will assist in identifying any employee who may be an insider threat, trying to sell confidential data to competitors.
Unbiased performance evaluations: Managers cannot play favorites here when it comes to performance reviews and promotions. With accurate data-driven metrics, performance reviews are fair, and only the most efficient and productive employees will reap the benefits in case of bonuses, promotions, etc.
Big aid in remote work: These days, remote teams and work-from-home environments are highly encouraged and appreciated. However, these remote teams need a gateway to properly collaborate, communicate, and show the best of their teamwork.
Employee monitoring applications act like that gateway. Team members from even different time zones can connect and collaborate over a single platform. By doing so, they get these advantages.
- Every team member works in synchronization.
- They get the same updates and information.
- It becomes easy to finish the project before the deadline with proper shared resources.
- Location tracking helps know where the employees are at all times. Especially useful for fieldwork.
Legal assistance: by logging employee data, employers can comply with the regulations and labor laws of their country. Legal documentation becomes easier, which overall creates an ethical work environment.
Project management: Screen monitoring software assists in keeping track of project progress and deadlines. The time can be managed project and time-wise as per company policy.
- With proper time management, the workload never gets too much. Even if it does, managers can easily reschedule tasks and resources for improved productivity and efficiency.
Saves costs: By calculating idle and work hours, the software helps you cut time and money costs. By uncovering expensive resource assignments, you can decrease these costs by optimally assigning resources. Overall, the budget management improves.
- Please note that the software also helps in accurate bills and invoices for clients, where you only charge them for billable hours, and not the time such as urgent meetings.
Improves employees: With accurate performance metrics, managers can find areas and skills, where their staff needs to improve. This helps them create specific training programs for certain employees, who may need them.
Increase client trust: You can be honest and open with your clients with staff monitoring software. By showing them real-time metrics of the effort and work progress of their project, you easily gain more trust. This in return earns you:
- More clients and work in the future.
- More projects, which lead to better growth of the company in the future.
- More employees will apply in the future. It is because, if clients trust your company, they can too.
Rules and Controversies Regarding The Use of Employee Time-Tracking Software
Every software product has its downsides, employee tracking software included. The first one is that you need to adhere to the laws and rules regarding employee monitoring before tracking your staff and increasing productivity. Regarding these, some controversies and employee concerns also exist.
- As per employees’ perspective, staff monitoring is invading privacy, which is true, if the software use crosses some boundaries.
- Poorly developed employee screen trackers can leak sensitive data.
What do you think about these? Give us your thoughts in the suggestion box below.
The 5 best employee screen tracking software
The below list will help you identify the best staff monitoring software to suit your needs. We have handpicked these from the best sources.
Hubstaff: This one is a workforce analytics software, which works across in-house, remote, and hybrid teams. The product ensures enhanced productivity and improved employee satisfaction. A great feature of this application is that it integrates with around 30 software, making your business run more smoothly. Hubstaff offers various features including time tracking, screenshots, URL monitoring, performance metrics, location monitoring and much more to let you know how work is done by your employees.
Time Doctor: Time Doctor is yet another great employee workforce analytics software. What makes it different is its flexible customization, which adapts to the work culture and environment of your company. Improve your team’s efficiency and productivity with the software’s actionable data insights. Overall, it’s a workday analytics-focused and automated time tracker.
DeskTime: This one is a desktop and mobile tracker for freelancers and companies. The application provides ease of access in productivity calculation, boosting efficiency, attendance monitoring, and workflow management. Overall, you stay updated with individual and teamwork progress in real time.
Teramind: This user behavior analytics software is a screen monitoring plus data security software. This application offers features like insider threat management, preventing data loss, optimizing productivity, and betterment of processes. This advanced application is used worldwide by SMBs, governments, and enterprises.
ActiveTrak: The last one on our list is a SaaS (Software as a Service) application. Using the cloud-based data-driven solution, you get clarity into people, processes, and technology. Get a base for long-term success. Overall, the software assists you in reducing or even eliminating risk and uncertainty.
Conclusion
With that, our post on the best employee monitoring software for 2024 gets a closure. Throughout the content, we discussed the common features of such applications and the advantages of using them. We also added some rules regarding use and some controversies related to the software. Finally, we listed the top 5 employee screen monitoring software for you to choose one as per your company’s standards. For final thoughts, we conclude that employee monitoring applications are good for increasing efficiency and productivity. However, there must also be a usage limit, considering employees’ personal space is also essential. Overall, proper usage of employee monitoring tools will benefit both the employees and the organization as a whole.
Hi there! My name is Ruchi Sharma, and I’m a successful marketing manager with three solid years of experience in the IT sector. I’m a tech-loving marketing expert who is adept at developing and assembling winning marketing campaigns. My attention to detail allows me to translate creative ideas into useful results. My experience with DeskTrack, the best Employee Monitoring software enhanced my skills and piqued my interest in the newest technological developments.