Should You Purchase Employee Monitoring Software?
Employee monitoring software, like Wolfeye, has increased in popularity due to the rise in employees working from home in recent years. Many companies use it as a way to track productivity and other metrics for both in-office and remote employees. If you are in a leadership position at a company, should you purchase employee monitoring software?
Purchasing employee monitoring software like Wolfeye is a good investment because it helps you see how employees are spending their time, develop strategies for workflow improvement, and protect important company information, among other things.
It is always best to research employee monitoring software to see what fits your organization’s needs best. So, keep reading to learn more about the benefits that this software can bring, and its potential drawbacks.
Is Buying Employee Monitoring Software a Good Idea?
Employee monitoring software is a worthwhile investment regardless of industry and company size. This section will show you why that is the case and give you the ability to make an informed buying decision.
Reasons to Purchase Employee Monitoring Software
If you are considering purchasing employee monitoring software like Wolfeye, you are probably wondering how it will benefit your organization. These are some of the best reasons to buy employee monitoring software.
Real-Time Tracking of Employee Activity
Employee monitoring software allows you to see what your employees are doing at any time. You can see what software they are using, what meetings they have attended, how much time they spend sitting idle, and much more.
Using software like Wolfeye eliminates the impulse to micromanage because you can see what everyone is working on remotely through the computer. It is a good idea to avoid micromanaging at all costs because it causes staff stress, diminishes trust, increases turnover, and decreases productivity.
Seeing how your employees spend their time can help you come up with ways to improve workflow. For example, if you notice they are taking more personal time than expected, you can devise a way to address it that benefits individuals and the organization.
Helps With Planning Projects and Effective Resource Allocation
Every project needs thorough planning and organization to be a success. The data from an employee monitoring software can be used to help leadership select the best team members to direct and work on the project based on their metrics. The more informed choices you make, the better the project outcome.
Once the project is underway, the software can also keep track of the progress made on it. This will help employees meet deadlines and prioritize their work. Monitoring software like Wolfeye can also help with assigning resources to the project by identifying gaps in the project an employee needs.
Resource allocation is the action or process of assigning company resources to a project so that it can start and or be completed. Common resources include employees, time, money, materials, and software. It is an important skill because inaccurate or improper use of resources leads to lost revenue, project delays, and decreased employee morale.
Using resources the right way will keep employees from experiencing burnout. It also makes a project cost-effective, avoids the waste of inherently finite resources, and ensures that the project is completed most efficiently.
Allows Data-Driven and Research-Based Decision Making
Data and research-backed decisions are sounder and will ultimately yield better outcomes for individual employees and the organization. Because Wolfeye is keeping an eye on employees, every decision you will make regarding the organization can be backed up by the data tracked.
For example, if you use the software to monitor attendance and notice that employees have been lacking, you can use the poor attendance data to decide if they need a warning or other discipline. The data can also inform the need for attendance policy revisions.
Using data to make decisions saves resources, and increases proactive problem-solving and idea development. This is because the data employee monitoring software collects will help you identify behavior patterns quickly and address them as they arise.
Builds a Trusting Environment
Trust is a fundamental part of lasting relationships in the workplace or otherwise Transparency throughout the working relationship ensures honesty and successful completion of projects and tasks. Employee monitoring software like Wolfeye builds trust because employee data is recorded in real-time.
As a result, leadership does not have to guess or put blind faith in the team, they can see the evidence that work is being accomplished daily. Trusting your team is important because they are going to feel defeated if they feel their leader is always peering over their shoulder.
Trust is a two-way street, so team members should also trust their leader. Being upfront about monitoring processes and the use of collected data will allow employees to see that monitoring is for the good of the organization and not an excuse to spy.
Holds Employees Accountable
When employees are aware of monitoring practices, they are more likely to stay on task. Furthermore, when a task is not completed on time or done incorrectly, collected data will hold them responsible. Keeping accountability is another action that builds organizational trust. Wolfeye can track attendance, adherence to key performance indicators, and more.
Since employees are held accountable for their mistakes with Wolfeye data, they will be less likely to make the same mistakes twice. This saves the organization time that would be used on repeat employee education and allows them to refocus it on other things.
Yields a Higher Return on Investment (ROI)
Everything, from choosing employees to gaining support from stakeholders, is a business investment. Monitoring employees using Wolfeye will increase performance and produce more tangible results. The more evidence of success you can provide, the more willing investors will be to keep supporting your business.
Leadership will also gain a confidence boost because they will see they made solid hiring choices based on key performance indicators. They will continue investing their resources in those that perform well. The company will continue to succeed as a result.
Protects Sensitive and Confidential Company Data
Monitoring software is not only for employees, it protects company data as well. Software like firewalls, authentication programs, and single sign-on prevent cybercriminals and hackers from accessing proprietary information. Data breaches occur in every industry across companies of all sizes.
Threat detection software lets the IT department and or leadership know if a data breach is imminent or possible. This helps prevent breaches from happening. A study conducted by Verizon concluded that as much as 82% of data compromisation occurs because of human error.
As stated above, employee monitoring software like Wolfeye assists in keeping staff mistakes to a minimum. So, it has an indirect role in protecting data.
Pitfalls of Employee Monitoring Software
Like most things in life, employee monitoring software has some negative aspects despite its many benefits. Let’s go through some of the ways that monitoring software is lacking.
High Installation Costs
As with other business software, employee monitoring software is a costly investment. Companies not only have to pay for the software itself for as many employees as needed but also for the labor and time needed to install and keep it in working order.
There are so many options for what software can track that it takes energy and thought to decide what features will be most effective for your organization.
Ethical and Legal Complications
Many people view employee monitoring software as a violation of workplace ethics. This is because using monitoring software can be regarded as a violation of privacy. To keep employees from feeling violated, have a thorough monitoring policy in place and refrain from monitoring in private areas like bathrooms.
Always be honest and disclose monitoring procedures so that employees are not surprised or caught off guard. If you monitor employees in secret, it will lower morale and trust among the team.
There are also legal risks associated with the software. Companies must abide by both federal monitoring laws and those for individual states. Failing to comply or knowingly over-monitoring employees will result in legal troubles and negatively impact the company’s reputation.
Decreased Innovation and Risk Taking
When employees know their work is being assessed throughout the day, they will be afraid to use their creativity and come up with ideas that can benefit the company. They will feel pressured to adhere to the norm and standard procedures, given that monitoring necessitates standardization
A company that fails to innovate will not be competitive in the market, and eventually go out of business. The most successful companies keep with trends and evolve based on the needs of consumers
Although employee monitoring software has some negative connotations, it is clear that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. If you have wanted to try out Wolfeye and have the means to, there is no time like the present.
How To Decide If Employee Monitoring Software is Right for You
After seeing the reasons why employee monitoring software like Wolfeye is beneficial, as well as some of the ways it falls short, you may be wondering if it is the right choice for your organization. Here are some factors to consider to help you make that decision.
The Goals Your Company Wants To Achieve
If you are striving to improve company output as well as the quality of your goods and or services, it is worth considering the purchase of employee monitoring software. This is because it helps employees stay focused on assigned tasks and improve productivity.
If you do not have these goals, or ones that will not benefit from the implementation of this software, then it is best to put your company’s money into other things
The Amount of Money Your Company Can Set Aside For Software
As mentioned above, employee monitoring software has significant costs. Furthermore, the software packages are typically priced on a per-user per-month basis. The bigger your company is, the higher the costs will be.
Before you explore the types of software and features available, you need to determine if your company has the financial resources to purchase and maintain it. Otherwise, it will be a waste for everyone involved.
The Kind of Software You Want
Once you have considered the company goals and software budget, you will want to research to find software that will help you reach those goals. Employee monitoring software is not limited to desktop and laptop computers. It can also be:
- GPS tracking systems
- CCTV
- Employer issued phones
- Security cameras
- Email tracking
Selecting the software that suits the company’s needs best is half the battle of employee monitoring. There are so many types and models of software available on the market to meet the increased demand. Some common features employers look for include keylogging and overall activity tracking including apps used and meetings attended
The Types of Teams You Have and the People in Them
If your company is small and all the employees are in one office, then you will probably not benefit from purchasing software because monitoring can be done manually by leadership. The cost of the software will outweigh the possible benefits. However, if your company has a large hybrid and or remote division, it is worth looking into.
Also, consider whether or not the employees you have are quick to adapt to new technology and work process or not. If they can handle new ways of working well, then the loss of productivity during software installation and training will be small. If they are typically resistant to technology, then installation will not be a smart move.
This is because you will waste significant financial resources and time teaching employees who may not attempt to make use of the software and see what it can do for them.
Conclusion
You should purchase employee monitoring software like Wolfeye because it has many benefits including but not limited to holding employees accountable, protecting proprietary and confidential information, and assisting with project planning. Like many things, the software has some drawbacks, but the benefits outweigh them. When deciding if the software is worthwhile, consider the company budget, types of software, and team members.
Sources
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12510608/
- https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/resource-allocation
- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/data-driven-decision-making
- https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0618/pages/why-trust-matters-at-work.aspx
- https://www.wolfeye.de/the-pros-and-cons-of-employee-monitoring-software-en/