Maintaining employee productivity during a pandemic
When the pandemic first started, millions of companies and employees were forced to adopt remote work seemingly overnight. And this wasn’t a big problem on the face of it. After all, technology-enabled smooth communication, and working from home came with benefits like less time wasted on the commute, more time spent with loved ones, and savings on office rentals. But employers were still confronted with a looming question- would this newfound comfort lead to a compromise on employee efficiency? There was only one way to find out- employee monitoring software.
Employee monitoring tools let employers know what employees are doing even if they’re working from different places. Using various techniques like virtual clocking in and out, monitoring employee emails, capturing activity levels based on keyboard and mouse usage, and even periodically snapping webcam pictures of employees to make sure they’re at their desks- these technologies set employers minds at ease while keeping employees on their toes.
According to a June blog post by Gartner, 16% of employers are now using such technologies more frequently. And because of this, companies that provide tools to monitor employee productivity have seen huge upticks in demand. Since the beginning of the year, companies like Hubstaff, Teramind, ActivTrak, and TimeDoctor.com saw website visits surge by 233%, 276%, 59%, and 93% respectively. And these numbers are growing every month.
To cater to the growing demand, these companies have also seen fit to add to their numbers, despite a general clampdown on hiring during the crisis. Since the beginning of the year, Hubstaff, TimeDoctor.com, and ActivTrak have ramped up hiring by 14%, 23%, and 100% respectively.
And as people and employers become accustomed to working from home, it’s becoming likely that a lot of companies will make it a more permanent part of their culture. If that happens, it’ll be exciting to see how many more turn to monitoring tools to preserve the sanctity of the workplace.
