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In order to maximize productivity in today’s highly-distracted society, managers are forced to monitor employee activity online. This is not something that most managers actually want to do. However, it is one of the best management strategies to maximize employee productivity and reduce inefficiency overall. Of course, you need to be careful when navigating the beginning stages of monitoring internet activity of employees. Otherwise, you could land the business owners a lawsuit and lose your job, and that is certainly not something you want to have happen. Learn how to monitor employee internet activity using the different types of employee monitoring tools below to start improving employee output as soon as possible.
URL Blocking
One of the most widely-known tools to monitor employee activity online is URL blocking software. URL blocking tools allow managers like you to blacklist entire websites. That includes every webpage each site includes, not only the direct URL. This is obviously a great way to prevent employees from using social media at work. URL blocking technology can also help managers prevent employees from visiting unsavory or inappropriate websites during the work day by blocking websites that contain certain keywords or phrases. If you want to start managing employees’ online activity, you should first make sure to block URLs that hurt employee productivity with URL blocking tools for the office.
Email Record Retention
Email monitoring solutions are another excellent tool to use to watch what employees are doing online. Sometimes, employee emails become the cause of concern, as they often are in common fraud triangle scenarios. It is at those times that you will be wishing you had retained employee emails. Monitoring employee email accounts allows managers to avoid unnecessary issues or complaints and fix mix ups or mistakes. It also nearly guarantees employee honesty and workplace transparency. When you want to find out what employees are doing online, monitor employee internet activity by surveilling employee email. It will make you a better manager in more ways than one.
Notifications, Reminders & Warnings
Internet usage notifications are some of the best types of employee internet tracking tools available to managers. These types of tools allow you to take a more hands off approach to monitoring employee activity online. Notifications, reminders and alerts can pop up to clue employee’s in to undesirable internet browsing habits during work hours. That way, they can adjust their behavior accordingly on their own without a reprimand from their superior. These types of online activity tracking tools give employees autonomy to maintain a positive work environment. That is what makes them one of the best ways to monitor employee internet activity without micromanaging.
Activity-Related Allowance
Specific online allowance tools are also a great way to reduce employees’ internet time during the day. This technology is similar to URL blocking apps. But instead of blacklisting websites, you whitelist websites that you know your workers will need to get the job done, including business intelligence software and other offline tools. Those whitelisted websites will be the only ones employees are able to navigate to during the time you allot for them. That way, they can stay productive and engaged throughout the workday, even when they otherwise would struggle. Managers can use this internet activity monitoring software to assign websites to tasks, and assign tasks to employees. This would be wise if you want to improve employee productivity.
Real Time Monitoring
If you want to monitor employee activity online, invest in real-time monitoring technology. Real-time computer monitoring technology is the most comprehensive tool to control employee internet activity. These types of employee monitoring tools allow managers to drop in on an employee’s computer screen whenever and wherever they want to. You can also use real time internet monitoring solutions to take control of an employee’s computer, should they be caught doing something inappropriate online at work or simply need help figuring out a task online. In order to monitor online activity of employees in business to the highest possibility, you need to invest in the best real-time computer monitoring tools.
Managers need to monitor employee internet activities in order to maximize employee productivity and do their own job well. It is the one strategy used by all the companies with competitive advantage. Make sure you use the five ways to monitor employee internet use detailed above. Blocking URLs on work servers, monitoring employee emails, using notifications and reminders for internet usage times, whitelisting websites and investing in real-time computer monitoring technology will help you make your employees more productive by limiting irrelevant internet browsing on social media and elsewhere. Share your results after trying these employee monitoring software solutions to help inform other business owners of these effective management strategies.
