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There are so many different employee monitoring software solutions, so making a shortlist of the best can be tricky. You want to ensure efficient work, adherence to policies, and security of company data—and need the right tool for your projects and team. In this post, I share from my personal experience as an HR specialist using many different monitoring tools with teams of all sizes and recommend my picks for the best employee monitoring software.

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The 10 Best Employee Monitoring Software Comparison Chart

Here’s a comparison chart that summarizes basic details about each of my top employee monitoring software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the best software for your budget and business needs.

Tools Price
Veriato From $25/user/month
Insightful From $8/employee/month
ActivTrak From $10/user/month
Clockify From $4.99/user/month
Hubstaff From $7/user/month
Kickidler From $3.67/user/month
Teramind From $15/user/month
Monitask From $5.99/user/month
CleverControl From $4.70/device/month
ControlUp Upon Request
Preview Image - <h2 class="c-block__title b-summary-table__title c-listicle__title h3" > Compare Software Specs Side by Side</h2>

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

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How to Choose an Employee Monitoring Software

As you work through your own unique tool selection process, keep the following points in mind:

  • What problem are you trying to solve - Start by identifying the challenges you're trying to overcome. This will help you clarify the features and functionality the employee monitoring software needs to provide.
  • Who will need to use it - To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who will use the tool and how many licenses you'll need. For employee monitoring software, you'll likely want employee-level access for your entire workforce, with special access for your HR administrators and managers. Once that's clear, it's also useful to rank the needs of your different users to identify the key priorities for your power users, managers, and employees, to ensure they're all met.
  • What other tools it needs to work with - Clarify what tools you're replacing, what tools are staying, and the tools you'll need to integrate with, such as time tracking systems, attendance monitoring software, or project management tools. You'll need to decide if the tools will need to integrate together, or alternatively, if you can replace multiple tools with an all-in-one employee monitoring software.
  • What outcomes are important - Review the capabilities you want to gain or improve, and how you will measure success. For example, you may want a tool to automate portions of the employee time tracking process, so nothing slips through the cracks. You could compare tool features until you’re blue in the face but if you aren’t thinking about the outcomes you want to achieve, you could waste a lot of valuable time.
  • How it would work within your organization - Consider the tool selection alongside your existing workflows and systems. Evaluate what's working well, and the areas that are causing issues that need to be addressed.

Overviews of the 10 Best Employee Monitoring Software

Here you’ll find a brief description of my top 10 employee monitoring software solutions that highlights what each system does best. I’ve also included screenshots to give you a snapshot of their user interface too. Plus, there are 10 additional bonus options below if you’d like more choices to consider.

Best for protecting sensitive information and preventing data breaches

  • Free demo available
  • From $25/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Veriato is a workforce behavior analytics company that helps organizations monitor and analyze employee activity on computers, laptops, and mobile devices. Their user-friendly interface is easy to set up and customize, and they offer an extensive range of features, including activity logging, screenshot capturing, keystroke logging, web activity monitoring, and linguistic sentiment analysis.

Why I picked Veriato: One feature that really stood out to me is Veriato's AI-powered intelligent alert system. It can identify unusual behavior patterns in your employees' activities, such as excessive web browsing or heavy amounts of downloading, and send an instant alert to the relevant authority for further investigation. This helps businesses protect their sensitive information and prevent possible data breaches, making them an excellent choice for any organization with concerns about their proprietary information.

Veriato Standout Features and Integrations:

Another feature that sets Veriato apart from other tools in the employee monitoring space is its comprehensive reporting system. Admin users can generate detailed reports covering employee productivity, internet usage, application usage, active vs. idle time, and other relevant metrics.

You can also configure the reports to generate automatically, at a frequency of your choosing (either daily, weekly, or monthly) covering specific individuals, teams, departments, or across your entire organization. All combined, these features can help you gain insights into how your team is working and identify any areas for improvement or process optimization.

Integrations are available with third-party applications by connecting Veriato to a paid Zapier account.

Best for monitoring the time employees spend productively on their workstations

  • 7-day free trial
  • From $8/employee/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Insightful is a workforce analytics software that combines time-tracking software with employee monitoring features. Insightful lets you track time using employee computer activity to help eliminate manual time-tracking issues like buddy punching. It has a stealth mode that lets you inside employee workstations undetected so you can investigate suspicious activities.

Why I picked Insightful: Understanding how employees spend their time can help you implement plans to help boost productivity, and Insightful can help you with its apps and website monitoring feature. You can see which apps employees use the most to determine if these apps drive productivity or act as a source of distraction. Insightful also has a productivity labeling feature that tags unproductive websites and applications so you know which websites to monitor.

Insightful Standout Features and Integrations:

Another aspect of their user activity monitoring is the ability to take periodic or rules-based screenshots. By capturing random screenshots of your employees’ workstations you'll gain proof that employees are doing their work as expected. At the same time, knowing this feature exists will help to deter employees from accessing personal websites. The software also records activity logs so you can assess what drives idle time among employees.

If you want to make well-informed decisions to boost productivity, provide excellent training and create detailed and objective employee performance evaluations, Insightful is the best solution for you.

Integrations are available through their API.

Best employee monitoring software for helping leaders coach their team members

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $10/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

ActiveTrak is an employee monitoring software with informative dashboards providing you with a detailed summary of workforce performance and productivity trends.

Why I picked ActivTrak: I included ActivTrak in this list because of its advanced manager coaching support in the form of weekly coaching summaries. You can use the weekly coaching summary as a reference for one-on-one coaching sessions to focus on the areas where individual team members are struggling. The weekly coaching summaries can also allow you to monitor the progress of employees to gauge the effectiveness of action plans and revise them as needed.

ActivTrak Standout Features and Integrations:

Another feature that sets ActivTrak apart is its workforce productivity benchmarks. You can use this feature to track your team’s progress toward achieving their individual goals. ActivTrak also allows you to monitor real-time user activity, enabling you to check on employees without interrupting them. The software analyzes daily work activity data, giving you insights into time and technology usage, resource gaps, productivity trends, and active or passive status on employee workstations.

Integrations include Asana, Google Calendar, Jira, Lattice, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Slack, Workday, Xero, Zapier, Zoom, and others.

Best for visually tracking time and logging employee activities

  • 7-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $4.99/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Clockify is an employee monitoring software with a wide array of tools to help you ensure employee productivity, like time tracking and timesheet monitoring functionalities.

Why I picked Clockify: If you want employee monitoring software to help employees become productive by managing their activities through a calendar feature, then Clockify is the best software for you. You can check employee calendars to ensure they spend their schedules on business-related matters. Clockify lets you compare an employee’s actual activities to their scheduled activities ensuring they are doing exactly what they should be doing and not spending time on unscheduled and unproductive activities.

Clockify Standout Features and Integrations:

It has an intuitive dashboard enabling leaders to break down what team members are working on and monitor project completion. You can also use Clockify to generate productivity reports and share them with team members and shareholders for use in informed decision-making.

Integrations are available with other productivity tools like Google Calendar, Zendesk, Google Docs, Wrike, Basecamp, and Gitlab.

Best for generating reports to identify trends and aid in decision making

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $7/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Hubstaff offers a unique blend of employee monitoring and time-tracking software so you can keep tabs on your employees' work in real-time.

Why I picked Hubstaff: Their employee monitoring software includes detailed reports on how your employees work and how they spend their time, letting you gauge their productivity. With the help of detailed productivity reports, you can identify project and workplace bottlenecks so you can improve workflow and increase profits. You can also use Hubstafff reports to monitor if employees are meeting work metrics and goals so you can initiate coaching and training sessions to help employees improve.

Hubstaff Standout Features and Integrations:

You can use Hubstaff to monitor employee screens and track app and website usage, ensuring employees concentrate on their designated tasks. Hubstaff also enables you to monitor employees' productive and idle times to help you increase productivity.

Other features within Hubstaff's employee management system include time tracking, payroll management, invoicing, and task management tools to help you run your company.

Integrations include ActiveCollab, Asana, Breeze, ClickUp, GitHub, GitLab, Insightly, Jira, Liquid Planner, Mavenlink, Slack, QuickBooks, Salesforce, TransferWise, and others.

Best for monitoring multiple employees' computer screens simultaneously

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $3.67/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Kickidler is an employee monitoring software equipped with productivity tools to help companies control personnel and improve workplace efficiency.

Why I picked Kickidler: Supervisors can use Kickidler to visually assess what employees are doing without interrupting their work. Their software also includes a unique quad splitter feature, similar to that used in CCTV systems, where you can display an unlimited number of employee desktop screens in one grid format, giving you eyes on your entire team at once.

Their software also works on both Windows and Mac systems, as well as on GNU/Linux systems. Their software is currently only available as an on-premise option, though a cloud-based version is currently in the works.

Kickidler Standout Features and Integrations:

Kickidler's employee monitoring software can also help you protect your company and clients' data thanks to its violation monitoring feature. It can detect work schedule violations ensuring that your company delivers service level agreements to clients. Kickidler also records the entire history of computer activities of employees to help prevent employees from committing illegal acts.

In addition, Kickidler allows supervisors and HR officers to automatically generate reports and timesheets to make tracking work hours more efficient.

Integrations are available through their API.

Best for an insider threat detection feature to protect your company and its clients

  • 3-day free trial
  • From $15/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4/5

Teramind is an employee monitoring and data loss prevention software that aims to increase both employee productivity and data security.

Why I picked Teramind: If you're looking for employee monitoring software to help you protect your company and its clients, then Teramind is a good option because of its insider threat prevention functionality. It can help increase your company’s data security by identifying and protecting sensitive information and ensuring data loss prevention. You can use Teramind’s user behavior analytics to detect malicious activity and behavior deviations, helping you closely monitor suspected employees.

Teramind Standout Features and Integrations:

Teramind's user activity monitoring features allow you to track user activity on apps, programs, websites, emails, and in instant messaging apps. Its keystroke monitoring feature tracks, captures, and records keystrokes and provides business owners with insight into their employees’ productivity and attitude. Teramind also has a remote desktop control feature you can use to take control of an employee’s desktop or laptop to prevent illegal activities immediately.

Integrations include ArcSight ESM, IBM Security, Jira, QRadar, Redmine, Splunk Enterprise, and Zendesk.

Best for analyzing employees’ computer usage to improve productivity

  • 10-day free trial
  • From $5.99/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

Monitask is a productivity monitoring software that can help you track employee performance to help drive productivity levels.

Why I picked Monitask: Their employee monitoring software allows you to check how employees use their computers during work hours by giving you a breakdown of the websites and applications they use. If an employee’s productivity drops, you can check that employee’s computer usage to determine where unproductive hours get spent, like social media sites.

In addition, it has a screen capture feature that takes random screenshots to keep employees on their toes and discourage them from accessing non-business-related sites and apps.

Monitask Standout Features and Integrations:

Monitask also includes task and project management capabilities to ensure projects get delivered on time and within budget. Their integrated time-tracking feature also helps you analyze which tasks are taking longer to complete so you can implement plans to make them simpler and easier to accomplish.

Integrations include ActiveCollab, Active Directory, Acuity Scheduling, Asana, Basecamp, Box Time, ClickFunnels, ClickUp, Convertri, Desktime, Easy Projects, Jira, Trello, and Slack.

Best cloud-based solution for screen-recording, webcam-recording, and call-recording

  • 5-day free trial
  • From $4.70/device/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

CleverControl is a cloud-based employee monitoring solution that's suitable for small businesses or medium-sized operations.

Why I picked CleverControl: Their software includes features like continuous screen recording, webcam recording, and call recording which make them a good choice for organizations with frequent phone or video meetings where sensitive information may be exchanged. You can also monitor running applications, internet searches, and site visits, as well as social networking activities.

CleverControl Standout Features and Integrations:

CleverControl provides information about each employee's activity and facilitates an easy and visual reporting experience so you can analyze details like active time, most used applications and websites, as well as remote monitoring.

Other standout features include their iOS app, messenger tracking, website blocking, activity reporting, printer task tracking, and live monitor viewing. You can also monitor multiple computer screens in real time simultaneously too. They also offer an on-premise software package if you don't want your data to be saved in the cloud too.

Integration details are currently not available.

Employee monitoring application for observing, analyzing, and optimizing the employee experience

  • Upon Request

ControlUp is a digital employee experience management system for monitoring both office-based and remote employees to ensure that they are working productively. It provides your IT team visibility and control of your employee’s devices, enabling them to collect device metrics that they can use to optimize the performance of applications. You can use ControlUp to collect and store historical data of device performance to help you spot trends you can leverage towards improving your employees’ digital experience. ControlUp can help your IT team run tests on devices to quickly identify issues and address them before disrupting employee productivity.

Employees cannot do their jobs properly if the applications they are using are not working properly, and ControlUp can help you observe, analyze and optimize employee experience to ensure that they have the right tools working for them. ControlUp lets you detect issues affecting employees like long log-on durations or slow application response so you can troubleshoot before the issue affects employee productivity. You can also use ControlUp to automate actions that can help improve the performance of essential applications like cleaning temp directories or expanding allocated disk space to ensure that applications are always in optimum working conditions.

ControlUp provides customized pricing and a free demo upon request.

Other Employee Monitoring Software

Here are a few more worthwhile employee monitoring systems that didn’t make it into my top 10 list. If you want a few more options to choose from, definitely check these out too:

  1. Vericlock

    Employee tracking software to help you manage employee locations

  2. TimeDoctor

    Employee monitoring software that can help automate time and attendance management

  3. BambooHR

    Employee monitoring software that can help automate time and attendance management

  4. Connecteam

    Best for monitoring remote employees location, time, and job execution

  5. memtime

    Software that automatically captures work hours and allocates them to projects to enhance productivity

  6. DeskTime

    Time tracking service that analyzes how employees use applications and programs to optimize productivity

  7. monday.com

    Cloud-based work management platform for managing projects, tasks, and employee productivity

  8. Ekran System

    Identity and access management platform for incident response and employee activity audits

  9. FocusRO

    Employee monitoring platform that uses algorithms to detect and manage employee productivity

  10. SoftActivity Monitor

    Cloud-based employee monitoring solution to help prevent internal threats and prevent data loss

If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these other related tools that we've tested and evaluated:

Selection Criteria for Employee Monitoring Software

When selecting employee monitoring software, my approach focuses on functionality as well as how solutions meet specific use cases that are crucial for businesses. My evaluation criteria are based on thorough personal research and hands-on experience with these tools, tailored to match software buyer needs, address common pain points, and enhance operational efficiency.

Core Functionality: 25% of total weighting score

To be considered for inclusion on my list of the best employee monitoring software, the solution had to support common use cases, such as:

  • Real-time activity monitoring to ensure immediate oversight
  • Comprehensive time tracking for accurate productivity assessment
  • Website and application usage tracking for policy compliance
  • Detailed productivity analysis tools for performance management
  • Robust security features for protecting sensitive information

Additional Standout Features: 25% of total weighting score

  • Unique functionality not found in competitor products, such as advanced behavioral analytics to predict potential security threats
  • Innovative productivity analysis methods, like using machine learning to tailor recommendations for improving individual or team performance
  • Integration capabilities that extend the utility of the monitoring platform, such as ERP or project management software integration for a holistic view of productivity

Usability: 10% of total weighting score

  • Intuitive interfaces that simplify complex data analysis, like dashboards that provide a quick overview of key metrics
  • Customizable reports that allow users to easily adjust parameters to fit their specific needs
  • Role-based access control that's straightforward to configure, ensuring users only see the data relevant to their role

Onboarding: 10% of total weighting score

  • A selection of training resources, including video tutorials, interactive product tours, and live webinars, to facilitate quick adoption
  • Clear documentation and a comprehensive knowledge base that helps users self-serve troubleshooting and learn advanced features
  • Responsive chatbots or help centers that guide new users through initial setup and common tasks

Customer Support: 10% of total weighting score

  • Availability of a responsive and knowledgeable support team across multiple channels, including live chat, email, and phone
  • A commitment to quick resolution times for issues, ensuring minimal disruption to monitoring activities
  • Proactive support, such as regular check-ins and updates on new features or best practices

Value For Money: 10% of total weighting score

  • Competitive pricing that aligns with the features offered, ensuring buyers receive high value for their investment
  • Flexible pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises
  • Clear communication of ROI, demonstrating how the monitoring software can lead to cost savings or productivity gains

Customer Reviews: 10% of total weighting score

  • High ratings for ease of use and customer support, indicating satisfaction with the user experience and the help available when needed
  • Positive feedback on the software's impact on productivity and security, showing that it meets or exceeds buyer expectations
  • Reviews that highlight the software's scalability and adaptability, demonstrating its ability to grow with the business

Through this criteria, I aim to guide software buyers towards employee monitoring solutions that not only fulfill basic tracking needs but also offer the insights and tools necessary to drive meaningful improvements in employee productivity and company security.

In 2024, the landscape of employee monitoring software has evolved significantly, driven by technological advancements and shifting workplace dynamics. As these tools progress, we've seen a focus on enhancing efficiency, ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent company policies, and bolstering the security of sensitive information.

My analysis of product updates, press releases, and release logs from leading tools reveals several key trends that shape the current and future state of employee monitoring software. Here's my assessment:

Emerging Trends in Employee Monitoring Software

  • Integration with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and ML are being increasingly leveraged to provide deeper insights into employee productivity and behavior. These technologies enable predictive analytics for identifying potential security threats or compliance violations before they occur, reflecting a shift towards more proactive monitoring strategies.
  • Enhanced Focus on User Privacy: In response to growing privacy concerns, there's a noticeable trend towards more transparent monitoring practices. Software updates include features for anonymizing data and ensuring that monitoring is conducted ethically, balancing employer oversight with employee privacy rights.
  • Rise of Behavioral Analytics: Behavioral analytics has become a rapidly evolving feature, offering novel insights into user activities and patterns. This functionality supports the detection of insider threats and helps in understanding productivity habits, indicating a move towards more nuanced and human-centric monitoring approaches.
  • Manual Time Tracking: With the advent of automated and more intelligent monitoring solutions, manual time tracking features are becoming less prominent. The shift towards automation and AI-driven insights suggests a decreased reliance on self-reported productivity measures.
  • Invasive Monitoring Practices: Features that are perceived as overly invasive, such as keystroke logging without clear justification or purpose, are becoming less popular. This trend aligns with a broader move towards ensuring ethical monitoring practices that respect employee privacy.

The evolution of employee monitoring software in 2024 reflects a balancing act between leveraging advanced technology to enhance organizational efficiency and security while maintaining ethical standards and respect for employee privacy. As the market continues to evolve, HR professionals must stay informed of these trends to select tools that align with their organization's values and operational needs.

What is Employee Monitoring Software?

Employee monitoring software is a tool used by businesses to track and analyze employee activities and productivity. It helps in ensuring efficient work, compliance with company policies, and security of sensitive information. This software provides insights into how employees spend their work time and assists in managing resources more effectively.

Key features include activity tracking to monitor work tasks, time tracking for assessing hours spent on projects, screen monitoring for real-time visibility of employee screens, email and internet monitoring to ensure appropriate usage, and keystroke logging for detailed activity records.

Features of Employee Monitoring Software

Employee monitoring software offers a range of features designed to provide insights into employee behavior, streamline operations, and protect company assets. Here are the top features I look for when evaluating a solution:

  1. Real-time Monitoring: This feature allows managers to observe employee activities as they happen, ensuring tasks are completed on time and identifying areas where support may be needed.
  2. Time Tracking: By recording how much time employees spend on various tasks, companies can improve project management, allocate resources more effectively, and enhance productivity.
  3. Productivity Analysis: This tool evaluates the efficiency of employee work patterns, helping to identify high performers and areas where training may be beneficial.
  4. Website and Application Tracking: Monitoring the websites and applications employees use during work hours helps in ensuring compliance with company policies and detecting potentially harmful behavior.
  5. Keystroke Logging: Keystroke logging can provide insights into employee input on company devices, offering a way to ensure that sensitive information is handled properly.
  6. Email Monitoring: By overseeing email communications, companies can protect against data leaks and ensure that correspondence remains professional and adheres to company standards.
  7. File Transfer and Document Tracking: Tracking the movement and access of files and documents helps in safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring that data is not improperly shared or lost.
  8. Screen Capture: Capturing screenshots at random intervals offers a visual record of employee activities, useful for auditing and training purposes.
  9. Attendance and Leave Management: Integrating attendance tracking helps in managing staff availability, planning for absences, and ensuring that work hours are accurately recorded.
  10. User Behavior Analytics: Analyzing behavior patterns can help in detecting anomalies that may indicate insider threats or compromised accounts, enhancing security.

Selecting employee monitoring software with the right combination of these features can significantly enhance your company's ability to manage your workforce effectively. Be sure to contrast and compare features against your goals, use case, and company values.

Benefits of Employee Monitoring Software

Employee monitoring software plays a pivotal role in modern workplace management, offering a suite of tools designed to enhance productivity, ensure security, and maintain compliance across organizations. Below are five primary benefits that highlight the value of investing in employee monitoring software.

  1. Increased Productivity: Monitoring software provides insights into how employees spend their work hours, identifying areas of high efficiency and those needing improvement. This data-driven approach allows managers to optimize workflows and boost overall productivity.
  2. Enhanced Security: By tracking user activities and detecting unusual behavior, monitoring software helps in preventing data breaches and protecting sensitive information. This level of oversight ensures that security protocols are followed, reducing the risk of costly security incidents.
  3. Compliance Assurance: The software aids in enforcing compliance with both internal policies and external regulations. Automated monitoring and reporting simplify the process of adhering to legal and industry standards, minimizing the risk of non-compliance penalties.
  4. Operational Transparency: With real-time monitoring and comprehensive reporting, stakeholders gain a clear view of organizational operations. This transparency fosters trust and accountability, ensuring that everyone is aligned with company objectives.
  5. Data-Driven Decision Making: Employee monitoring software generates a wealth of data on operational activities, offering actionable insights for strategic planning. This information supports informed decision-making, helping leaders to allocate resources more effectively and identify opportunities for growth.

From enhancing productivity and security to ensuring compliance and operational transparency, these solutions offer significant benefits that can transform organizational efficiency and decision-making processes. For businesses seeking to maintain a competitive edge, understanding and leveraging these benefits is essential.

Costs & Pricing For Employee Monitoring Software

Different employee monitoring software providers offer a range of plans tailored to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. These plans often vary in terms of features, scalability, and cost, making it essential for buyers to carefully assess what each plan offers to find the one that best matches their organizational requirements.

Plan Comparison Table For Employee Monitoring Software

Below is a table that outlines the pricing and plan structures commonly found in employee monitoring software, aimed at simplifying the selection process for software buyers.

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon Features
Free$0Basic monitoring, Limited number of users, Basic reporting
Basic$5 - $10 per user/monthReal-time monitoring, Time tracking, Some productivity analysis tools, Basic security features
Standard$10 - $20 per user/monthComprehensive monitoring, Advanced reporting, Website and application tracking, Email monitoring
Premium$20 - $30 per user/monthBehavioral analytics, Advanced security features, Integration capabilities, Full productivity suite
EnterpriseCustom pricingCustomizable features, Scalability options, Dedicated support, Enhanced security and compliance

Selecting the right plan involves weighing the cost against the features your business needs to effectively monitor and improve employee productivity and security. Remember, the best choice not only fits your current needs but also offers the flexibility to scale as your business grows.

Frequently Asked Questions about Employee Monitoring Software

Here are some answers to FAQs that often come up regarding employee monitoring software and how it should be implemented:

What are the benefits and drawbacks employee monitoring software?

Employee monitoring software does have several benefits, however, I recommend implementing it with caution.

The benefits of employee monitoring software include:

  • Greater transparency into how your employees are spending their time
  • You can use the data you collect as a jumping off point to providing employee feedback
  • You can use the reports to help you balance your team members’ workloads more effectively
  • It can help your identify bottlenecks in key processes or tasks

Some drawbacks to using employee monitoring software may include:

  • Employees may feel less trusted and, therefore, less engaged in their roles
  • Your employees may experience and increase in stress just knowing they’re being monitored closely
  • You could face legal or privacy issues if the data you collect is used improperly

If you’re interested in pursuing this route, I recommend reading our in-depth analysis of employee monitoring software first.

Can you detect employee monitoring software?

Employee monitoring software is designed to be stealthy, but there are some ways you can try to detect it on your own computer. Here are a few techniques you can try:

  1. Open your Task Manager and look for any apps in the Processes or Services tab that you don’t recognize. For any questionable items, do a quick search online to see what comes up.
  2. If you have admin rights on your computer and you’re comfortable working in command line, you can try entering the command [netstat -b -n] to look through the list of applications running. For any items you don’t recognize, do a quick web search to see what comes up.
  3. Download and run anti-spy software and see what it picks up.
  4. Monitor the outgoing traffic coming from your computer to see what data is being transmitted.
  5. If you’re comfortable doing so, ask your IT department or your HR manager if any employee monitoring equipment is being used.

Other Employee Productivity Tools

Looking for other tools to help you improve your team's productivity? These other software systems may be just what you need:

Final Thoughts on Employee Monitoring

Employee productivity is a huge factor in a company's success. According to a report by Atlassian, an average employee spends just around 60% or less of their work time being productive. That translates to more than half of their time wasted or spent on trivial matters. 

With the help of the best employee monitoring software, you can cut down on unproductive hours and ensure that projects get completed on time. By doing so, you'll help your employees realize their full potential, while also ensuring greater organizational success.

If you want to learn about other software that can help your company grow, then subscribe to our People Managing People newsletter. You'll hear about the latest productivity apps and tools your company can benefit from.

Related read: What Is Time Tracking And Why Is Time Tracking Important?

By Kim Behnke

Kim Behnke is an HR Tool Expert & Writer for People Managing People. She draws on her 9 years of human resources experience and her keen eye for systematic processes to support her analyses of the top HR tools on the market. She is passionate about maximizing efficiencies and streamlining workflows to ensure internal systems run smoothly. Kim's HR experience includes recruitment, onboarding, performance management, training and development, policy development and enforcement, and HR analytics. She also has degrees in psychology, writing, publishing, and technical communication, and recently completed a Certified Digital HR Specialist program through the Academy to Innovate HR. When away from her desk, she can usually be found outside tending to her ever-expanding garden.