Here is how employers monitor remote workers.
| Victor Ajayi
Technology has made working from home easier. Hence, employers are increasingly adopting monitoring software. To keep eyes on remote workers. Employee monitoring is often an important privacy issue. But the pandemic has ushered-in, an era of intensive inspection. Remote hybrid workforces were increasingly employed. As many organizations quickly shift to remote work. In a bid to swerve through the pandemic. However, some employers have decided to keep that structure moving forward. Yet, the fear remains if workers would really be productive.
Obviously, the biggest holdbacks of remote work is trust. Employers don’t trust their staffs working untethered. They’re used to managing by counting butts. In seats rather than by results. The prime verge to triggered productivity is monitoring software. Organizations want to ensure remote workers are productive in due time.
Companies such as ActiveTrak, Teramind, Time Doctor etc. Enable companies – track their worker's activities through software. Most monitoring software will track keystrokes, email, file transfers, applications used. And the time employee spent on each task. Monitoring software will take periodic screenshots. So as to let employers know what remote workers are doing.
Teramind, a six-year-old Miami-based company. Which sells monitoring software. However got a hit during the pandemic. The level of interest in Teramind got tripled. And it kept increasing. Now, Teramind has enhanced its monitoring software. So, it covers all employee activity. Which covers 12+ system objects. Like web pages, applications, email, and console commands. So also, file transfers, instant messaging, social media, and keystrokes. Including clipboards, searches, printing, and on-screen content in real-time. The company offers a “revealed agent” that's visible to the employee. Likewise, a “hidden agent” that performs certain security functions. Which is keenly embedded in the monitoring software.
Employee Tracking Monitoring Software.
Teramind is designed to track worker's behavior. So, employers can see who’s logged on. How long workers have worked. Plus the sites or app they're visiting. The live screen can be viewed. And recorded for future purposes. So, Teramind records every action an employee takes.
Social Media Monitoring.
Social media are effective marketing platforms. So, Teramind software monitors the misuse of social media. In order to prevent underutilized working hours. And ensure productivity. It tracks all conversations across social sites. Such as Skype, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Employers see all posts, updates, and comments you make. They'd be notified if you post sensitive content. And if you're exceeding your boundaries.
Email Monitoring Software.
This is an amazing tool. That's viable for inspecting worker's email. It's possible to see inbox and sent box content. They could watch you write the email. Hence, can view and analyze the content. The software has an insider threat detection feature. So employers could track email sent to competitors. Or an act that can lead to financial loss.
Productivity Tracking.
Productivity report will show your work-time to idle time. Also it will reveal sites and apps visited. With an idle time analysis report, your productivity level is gauged. The data collected can be used to analyze. The time spent on work-related tasks and irrelevant tasks. The data collected is usually presented as color graphs. For easy interpretation.
Access Control.
Employers can access your computer. Using the remote desktop control feature of the software. So, this feature enables them view your browser screen. Often, a high-quality video of screen recording. In fact, they could control worker’s screen. Block a user if they’d notice a malicious act. Also it shows how you interact customers. How long you spent with them. And how well you treat them.
Is Monitoring Software Invasion of privacy?
If monitoring sounds invasive. It’s not limited to those working remotely. Employees in the U.S. don’t have many privacy rights. Lewis Maltby said. “You have no privacy at all when you’re on your office computer." All you do is monitored by your boss. However, the courts generally have supported the view. So, if you work on company equipment, your data belongs to the company. This is backed up by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986.