The 6 Employee Behaviors Every Business Needs to Monitor 

With more employers allowing for hybrid and remote work, it is no surprise that these same employers are searching for ways to track what is being worked on and when. 

Not only can productivity and employee engagement be difficult to maintain when working remotely, but businesses are also more vulnerable to data theft, information leaks, and other insider threats. 

As a way to ensure employee productivity and increase efficiency and security, employers often use computer monitoring to track particular employee behavior. 

Employee monitoring is a valuable tool. To help you better understand how this tool can work for you, we’ve put together this short guide and a list of the 6 employee behaviors every business needs to monitor.  

Why You Should Consider Employee Monitoring  

Businesses monitor their employees for many different reasons. Some of the most common include improved productivity and protection from insider threats and/or data breaches. 

You should consider employee monitoring as a way to support your employees, both in the office and in remote locations. 

Monitoring employees can identify poor behavior, to be sure, but it can also identify inefficiencies in your system that are making things more complicated, allowing you to streamline processes and improve employee morale.

It also goes a long way to reducing the risk of insider threats. You can easily identify anomalous behavior and prevent data theft and other losses before they occur. 

Using a software tool, like SoftActivty, to monitor employee behavior allows you to manage a workforce of any size without having to stand over employees’ shoulders. It gives you the peace of mind you need to focus on other important elements of your business. 

What Employee Behavior Can You Monitor?

Employee monitoring is a sensitive topic. It’s important to know what you can and cannot monitor at work—and where you can do so without infringing on privacy. This is a complicated area but generally speaking, most activities carried out on a company device can be monitored by an employer.

When implementing employee monitoring software for your company, it is essential to be transparent to maintain employee trust. Your employees must know that you will not be accessing their passwords, banking information, or other sensitive personal data and that anything that is collected will be stored securely. 

Tell employees what you will be tracking and why. With clear communication, employees will better understand what is expected of them during working hours and are likely to respond more positively. 

The 6 Employee Behaviors Every Business Needs to Monitor

There is a myth that employee monitoring is about spying on employees. This is far from the truth. Employers need to monitor some things to ensure employees are working effectively and their business is running as securely and smoothly as possible.

Here are 6 employee behaviors that every business should be monitoring: 

Internet and App Usage

Monitoring your employees’ internet and app usage can help avoid lawsuits, theft, or sabotage. It can also help you identify if employees are actually working when they say they are. 

As an employer, you have a duty to provide your staff and employers with a guideline for Internet usage for work and personal use, respectively. There should be clear rules in place for email, social media, and web browsing.

While some positions require frequent, and sometimes random, internet searches, it should be fairly obvious which activities are productive and which are not.  

Time Tracking

Employee monitoring software can be of great help if you want to track employee performance both in-house and remotely. The time tracking feature in monitoring software can tell you what employees are working on, how long they are working on it, and when they are working on it. 

Time tracking also helps simplify payroll as it ensures accurate payment for work performed or completed.

File Tracking

Keeping track of files and who is accessing them is essential in many industries. With employee monitoring software, you can see who is accessing files and when they have done so.

In a permissions-based system, you need to know if employees without permissions are accessing the files. Similarly, if an employee is accessing the files outside of what is typically considered working hours, something may be amiss. 

Monitoring this type of behavior not only ensures privacy and cybersecurity but also offers accountability.

Email and Messenger App Monitoring

The most advanced employee monitoring tools can access all chats, emails, and other communications. These include apps like Slack, Teams, or Google Chat. Employee monitoring software can monitor whatever parameters or keywords your administrators have set so that you can keep an eye on sensitive leaks or data breaches.

This gives you a record that can be used should you need evidence to rectify a problem. 

Keylogging

Keylogging is often associated with spyware picked up by visiting untrustworthy websites or clicking on unsafe links. 

However, keylogging tracks each keystroke in employee monitoring, providing insight into what employees are entering into the computer. Keylogging is particularly useful if your business deals with sensitive data or areas of restricted access. 

Keylogging can be used to assign accountability should theft, data loss, or workplace bullying and harassment occur. 

Screen Capture

Good employee monitoring software will allow for screen capture. Employers can use this feature to take a snapshot of an employee’s computer screen to ensure they have the evidence needed to take action against an insider threat or problematic employee. 

The Right Employee Monitoring Software for You

An employee monitoring tool is a great way to keep an eye on your company’s data and your employees. It can impact your business in a number of positive ways. It can observe employee behaviors and protect against significant security risks. 

SoftActivity’s monitoring solution allows you to keep track of remote workers and in-house employees, ensuring they comply with company policies and produce high-quality work. You are also assured that your employees are paid fairly for the work they put into your company.

With the SoftActivity Activity Monitor, you get everything discussed in this article and more. Get started with a free trial to see how monitoring employee behavior can benefit your business and help your bottom line. Contact us today to learn more.

By SoftActivity Team.