Tips for Employers on Employee Monitoring and Privacy

Employee monitoring is rapidly gaining importance in every organization now, whether big or small. All companies are now considering installing the monitoring software on their employees’ devices so they can keep a check on their work activity during working hours.

Before an employer considers deploying monitoring solutions in the workplace, he should know everything about employee monitoring privacy. It is better if employees are told about monitoring beforehand so they do not feel that their privacy is being invaded.

Different countries have different laws and regulations on employee monitoring. However, one factor remains constant in all of their laws. The employees need to be informed about employee monitoring at the time of hiring or before installing the software on their devices.

A survey was conducted by the American Management Association which revealed that employee monitoring takes place in the following forms:

• 45% of employers track keystrokes, content, and time spent at the keyboard.
• 43% of employers store and review computer files
• 12% of employers monitor the blogosphere to see what is being written about the company
• 10% of employers track social media platforms of their employees

Types of Employee Monitoring Systems

With the advent of technology, new and incredible types of employee monitoring systems are being used in organizations. The old and obsolete CCTV cameras are not the only means to keep a check on your employees during working hours. With the help of modern employee monitoring systems, you can collect different data related to your employees.

Let us discuss a few types of employee monitoring systems in an organization.

Network Monitoring

Employers can use network monitoring to track internet traffic coming into and going out of the company’s private networks. Network monitoring can be enabled through routers or firewalls that hear the traffic and point out if there are any irregularities.

Companies can benefit from network monitoring because it stops malware from infecting computers, stops employees from accessing inappropriate content on the internet, monitors a user’s online activity, and identifies issues in the network.

Email Monitoring

Companies can use email monitoring software to allocate bandwidth and identify if there are any problems with the company’s email server. By using the software, the employer can also track their employee’s incoming and outgoing emails as long as they are sent from the company’s email ID.

The latest and innovative employee monitoring software can help you know details such as the name of the recipient, the subject line, the content of the email, and whether it has an attachment or not. With email monitoring tools, you can identify your employee’s strengths and weaknesses without confronting them.  

Computer Monitoring

Typically, employers use a computer or cell phone monitoring software to monitor their employee’s activity on these devices. With the help of computer monitoring tools, employers can track keystrokes, web browsing history, location history, emails, etc.

They can also monitor what projects their employees have worked and how many hours they have spent on a particular assignment. This helps them evaluate their employee’s performance which leads them to decide whether they deserve an increment, bonus, etc.

Location Tracking

Location tracking or GPS tracking apps are another incredible way to monitor your employee’s location. You can install this app on your employee’s smartphone or their company vehicle. When you have the GPS tracking app installed on your employee’s device, you can track their whereabouts and find out if they have been at the same location where they were supposed to be.

Tips on Employee Monitoring and Privacy

Before investing in employee monitoring software, it is important for a company to understand the business risk of employee monitoring. You need to be transparent about the monitoring software before putting it in the workplace.

Here are some tips for employers on employee monitoring and privacy:

Set a Clear Monitoring Policy

You need to create a clear and defined employee monitoring policy and be transparent to your employees. Monitor all your employee’s actions in all the ways possible and then share them with your staff. Tell them how you are going to monitor their activities in the workplace. If they feel uncomfortable with anything, they can tell you straight away, and then you can change the policy accordingly.

Monitor Only Business Activities

The best way to monitor your employees is to only monitor their work-related activities during office hours. You should not monitor their activities during off hours because then you will be invading their personal space and privacy.

Employees would not like it when employers invade their privacy during off hours because they are completely free to do anything after office timings come to an end.

Trust Your Employees

When employers constantly monitor their employees, they can be put in a negative light because then it would suggest that they don’t trust the people they work with. While monitoring your employees, if an employer does something that needs to be fixed, it is best that it should be handled in a friendly manner.

Employers need to remember that how they choose to act on such information is going to set a precedent that the rest of their staff members are going to respond to. Therefore, it is best to use the information to help and enhance work performance instead of punishing and setting examples all the time.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to make sure your employees are working and paying attention to their tasks during office hours. Read the employee monitoring software review of Mobistealth and see how it can help you track your employees.