What kinds of technology solution are available to monitor remote workers?

Whilst trust, collaboration, effective workflows, mutual respect, clear goals, fair management and a motivated workforce are all considered irreplaceable assets in remote working, there are nonetheless a number of technologies available that enable employers to keep a closer eye on the activities of their workers through monitoring software, installed on their computers.  These technologies are not just intended for remote workers – just because a worker is sitting at their desk, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re working on the job they’re supposed to be working on – as opposed to doing a spot of online shopping or catching up on social media.  But with more employees out of the office than ever before, businesses are seeking to build reassurances by having better visibility over employees activities.

Big Brother technology like this is undoubtedly controversial, but for some companies it’s considered a must-have in transitioning to a distributed or remote workforce to provide assurance and proof that productive work is taking place.  So what technology solutions are available if you want to monitor remote workers more closely?  See our comprehensive Buyer’s Guide for Time tracking, attendance and monitoring software – many of the time tracking solutions have a number of monitoring features built-in, but if you’re specifically looking for a comprehensive monitoring solution, take a look at these solution providers:

Workpuls is installed on your remote workers’ computers and takes screenshots of employees work periodically, whilst also tracking their work time by measuring computer activity. It provides an overview of sites visited and time spent on each, with the intention of helping workers develop more productive work patterns and reduce distractions.

WorkScape helps you monitor how much time remote employers are working, through a combination of screenshots, time spent on sites, and activity tracking. It provides detailed metrics and visual reporting on their active and rest times, time spent on websites (and which ones) and non-work apps, most productive and least productive working times etc.  Its aim is to help employers measure and monitor employee productivity and performance.

TimeDoctor offers a comprehensive range of time tracking, monitoring and attendance reporting, and also integrates time tracking with payroll.  It includes screen monitoring and distraction nudge alerts which remind the employee to focus on the task at hand when they appear to have been distracted by other websites.  Their time tracking software has a number of clever automations – like pausing when keyboard and mouse are not activated for a set period, and prompting the user to specify whether they were on a break or not, making it more reliable than manual versions which users have to remember to stop and start.  They claim their monitoring software can transform productivity by empowering staff to manage their time more effectively