Using the time tracker: what do you need to monitor

Use CrocoTime for time tracking and productivity improvement.

A computer is the basis of the modern office. Many employees work at computers most of their working time. But what exactly do employees do? How effective they use working time? The time tracker CrocoTime will give you the answer.

The software enables a manager to analyze the activities of subordinates and make necessary corrections.

Bottlenecks of time tracking

Time trackers are widely spread and have become even more popular during the crisis period. Such software allows you to not only monitor the work of employees, it becomes an excellent tool for analyzing the effectiveness of the entire company. Of course, this requires a certain functionality: the time tracker should provide time and attendance statistics by employee, department, and in the company as a whole; it has to record productive and unproductive time separately; it must pay attention to delays, distractions, truancy. Modern time tracker solutions have detailed monitoring of applications and websites used by employees, including window titles and website paths. A time tracker can either implement “total monitoring” (so-called spyware) or “loyal” monitoring (systems that do not intercept personal data). If we consider the a time tracker with regards to employees’ motivation, then loyal monitoring software is much better. To make it simple, choosing the right time tracker depends on how restricted or classified the company is: when there is no need in privacy, total control will only harm. By choosing a loyal time tracker, a manager will be able to receive statistics of the productive and unproductive time, detailed reports on employees, departments, and branches, up to the entire organization. At the same time, the privacy of employees will not be interfered.

The strengths and weaknesses of a time tracker

Cons: incorrect positioning and an ill-conceived implementation can give a negative effect. Innovations that strengthen the control of employees, results, and performance, are usually not welcomed by employees. Note that even professional and responsible employees will not be on your side when implementing the time tracker if you do not explain the motives and consequences to them. After explaining in detail the reasons and objectives for changes, you kill two birds with one stone: remove negative effects and speed up manifestation of positive changes. On the positive side the introduction of the time tracker in the company improves labor discipline, increases motivation (only if the results of time tracking are associated with KPIs), improves the quality of work (knowing that managers monitor their work, employees are more responsible). In addition, the time tracker leaves no questions on utilization and overload of employees. Analysis of optimal workload based on the data of time tracker becomes simple and the results of such analysis become objective. Data provided by the software helps to make difficult decisions about expansion or downsizing of staff, promotion or demotion of an employee. Time tracking software also helps to save work of your accountants: with hourly wages of employees, reports of time worked will be automatically generated by the software with an accuracy of seconds.

Time tracking: conclusions

The need to use a time tracker is long-proven and confirmed by positive examples of many companies. Choosing the type of monitoring (strict or loyal) remains at discretion of a manager. For example, for time tracking in small business, depending on the corporate culture of the organization, personal supervision of the manager can be enough. On the other hand, if the manager sees the obvious problems with the use of work time advantages of an automated time tracker can be used to solve it. With regard to medium and large companies as many executives are convinced it is almost impossible to rely only on personal supervision and the automated time tracker and employee monitoring software will be of great help here.

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