What Is Employee Monitoring?- Everything You Should Know

Interest in monitoring grew when there was the need to know what was getting done during working hours which led to the introduction of one central system for tracking employee’s progress. Organizations use digital tools to track work, employee performance, and work in progress. Tracking methods are used to measure productivity, assess behavior, ensures security, monitoring attendance, outright surveillance, and be used as proof of hours worked. 

Advantages of Employee Monitoring

1. Greater Efficiency and Productivity- Mismanagement of time will slow down work, and that will cost you money. A full-time employee is paid for 8 hours of work each day. Keeping track of time will help avoid inefficiencies before they come. Using various software, you can know how much time your employees spend in meetings and activity levels for each person. 
2. Improved Proactiveness- You can catch mistakes before they spiral out of control, giving you an insight into what your employees are up to. Employers can be saved from the frustrations of spinning hours headed in the wrong direction only to change later on
3. Useful Employee Insights- At some point, you will notice decreased engagement or dissatisfaction between your employees. 

Effects of Employee Monitoring

The employee tracking has led to the termination of contracts and lawsuits by employees claiming privacy. Jobs are the only source of livelihood, and losing it triggers fear and other problems, including:

• Lack of Trust Between Employers and Employees- Monitoring your employees can undermine morale and create distrust or suspicions between employers and employees. As a result, there will be a decrease in production levels making workers turn to litigations, filing lawsuits against employers.

• Stress- Constant monitoring may lead to high levels of stress and anxiety. Reports have shown that surveillance and monitoring are the significant causes of stress, especially when bosses keep on flashing the message that you should go back to work as the person next to you on his computer screen.

• Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)- Prolonged body movement may damage soft fibrous tissues like nerves, tendons, and muscles. RSI arises when an employee is demanded to perform a task that exceeds his capacity. There are no breaks from work since employees fear being regarded as lazy by their managers.

• Lack of Communication- Information technology has dramatically affected communication between workers by reducing the need for employees to talk to each other. Lack of exchange of information between employees may violate work rules and is punishable by discharge. In addition, monitoring reduces peer social support.

• Lack of Individual Creativity- The employee tracking ensures employees follow procedures to the letter, and none of it should vary. The fear of being questioned or losing their jobs makes workers not exercise certainty. 

Employers have every right to oversee employees do not misuse facilities provided and create a good working environment, resulting in a boost in productivity. An enforceable user policy can lower effects on employees, reducing the risk to employees and liabilities to the manager. The policy should be spelled with what constitutes improver activities.