With any business, whether small or growing, you want to make sure your output is as high as possible. Sometimes, your employees may not be living up to your expectations, leading to reduced sales, poor performance, or detrimental attitudes. This can be stressful as a business owner.
All you want is to know that your employees are performing to the best of their ability. After all, you hired them because you thought they were right for the job. But, how do you make sure that they are, in fact, both right for the job and maximizing their potential? Luckily, with both technology and the right methods, you can successfully monitor your employee’s performance levels.
Remote Teams Can Be Tricky
One of the biggest changes in working methods recently has been the switch to remote working en masse. It is estimated that over 46% of employees did at least some of their work from home during the year 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. These numbers have largely stayed the same or decreased slightly, as the switch to remote working proves to be effective and efficient. Some companies are actively encouraging people to stay in their remote working methods.
But, monitoring teams working remotely can seem like a huge challenge, especially when you’re so used to just dropping into the office to see what everyone is up to. This is where technology can play a huge part. With great employee tracking tech, you can keep your eye on your staff at all times. Let’s take a look at how…
Track Time Usage
One of the biggest worries for remote bosses is how well their employees are using their time. Homeworking is full of distractions. Maybe there are kids at home, other family members, or simply home entertainment systems begging to be a distracting force. It’s no wonder that bosses are worried about their employee performance.
With great tech, you can solve this issue. Software with worker time tracking can help you keep an eye on your colleagues at all times. This software is not invasive and shouldn’t be viewed as a power play. If you were in the office, you’d have a constant view of what your employees were up to, so why shouldn’t you get that now? The software is simple; it tracks when your employees are logged onto their staff PCs, how much time they have spent idle, and what time they clock off. This simple data helps you see exactly who’s logged on, how long for, and why, meaning you can address any issues you find.
Track Their Choices
Alongside the time data, you can also dig deeper into what your staff is doing on their PCs, should you wish to. For example, you may wish to know if people are spending time on their work computer doing things other than their instructed tasks. Maybe you want to check if they are closing their email app early or spending time on sites like YouTube. With this sort of software, you can track all the data being shown on your employee’s screen. This will give them a productivity percentage score. If you see it dropping below a level that you are happy with, you can speak to your staff to understand why they are not pulling their weight.
Monitor Data to Train Better
When monitoring staff, it’s not just about the time they spend online, it’s also about their output. Some people are fantastic at looking busy without actually achieving very much. This may not be a deliberately negative thing – they may just be struggling with certain tasks. With data monitoring, you can see what is taking your staff too long and what they are cruising through with ease. With this data, you can give proper training plans to staff, allowing them to develop skills that may currently be holding them back.
Hold Regular Reviews
Finally, whether working remotely or not, it’s important to have a revolving door policy when it comes to reviewing staff. Many companies have traditionally held annual reviews, however, modern research shows that more regular staff interaction can be beneficial. Problems crop up all the time, so it’s better if your staff can discuss it with you immediately, rather than wait months to sit down and address issues with you. Review constantly and stay in contact with your staff at all times.
These few tools and tips should help you monitor your staff – and entire business – performance a little better. Use the tools not as a threat, but as a way of encouraging staff to work harder and work smarter. You’ll quickly see improvement in output.
