Published on January 9th, 2018 | by Prantar Goswami

How Internet Monitoring Software for Employee Can Improve Productivity

The internet is a necessity in most workplaces as it allows employees to access information, transfer files and data, and communicate and collaborate with others. However as much as it has many benefits, it also has one major drawback in terms of the effect that it can have on productivity.

Tracks Time That Is Being Wasted

If left unchecked, a big chunk of the time that employees spend online may end up being on activities that aren’t work related. Estimates of the exact amount of time that is wasted in workplaces vary, but it can often be as high as 60% or more – which is far from ideal.

There are many sources of distractions that are responsible for the amount of time that is being wasted, but social media, instant messaging, and video streaming platforms (i.e. YouTube) rank high on the list. All that wasted time can add up, and impact the overall productivity of your employees.

With internet monitoring software you will have a way to track how your employees are spending time online, and determine how much of time is being wasted on activities that aren’t work related. Using that information you can then nip the problem in the bud and take action where necessary.

Most monitoring software includes the ability to filter or block websites and online platforms. By doing so you can limit some of the main sources of distraction, while not affecting your employees’ ability to use the internet for work-related tasks. Admittedly this may not be completely foolproof as employees will still be able to use their mobile devices with internet connections of their own, but it should cut it down.

Prevents Time Being Wasted

Aside from allowing you to track and take action when time is being wasted, internet monitoring software can also prevent it from happening in the first place simply by merit of being present. In short employees are less likely to use the internet for personal activities when they know that their internet usage is being monitored.

It is for this reason (as well as privacy concerns) that it is best to be upfront about any internet monitoring and come up with a company policy regarding it. Often the act of informing employees they are being monitored can reduce time wastage by over 50%.

The only caveat worth mentioning is that it is a good idea to conduct any internet monitoring in a reasonable manner so that employees don’t feel they are being penalized or constantly watched. The policy that you come up with should outline how the internet should be used, and define activities that are being tracked.

All in all by letting you track and prevent time from being wasted, internet monitoring software can substantially boost productivity. It can also help you to identify employees that are being the most productive, and you may want to incentivize that to encourage more employees to emulate them and boost productivity further.

Tags: employee, improve, monitoring, productivity, software