Gone are the days of timesheets hastily scrawled late on a Friday afternoon. Today’s powerful employee monitoring software goes beyond time tracking to offer features like detailed productivity reports, which empower managers with real-time data and actionable insights.
From monitoring activities and tracking projects to fostering team collaboration, these solutions are designed to supercharge your team’s performance.
We’ll dive into essential considerations, including customization, reporting capabilities, user-friendliness, and affordability, to help you find the perfect fit for your unique needs.Â
Join us as we unlock a new level of employee engagement, productivity, and success. Get ready to elevate your workforce and unleash its full potential. Let’s get started.
What is Employee Monitoring Software?
Employee Monitoring Software is a type of software that allows employers to track and monitor the activities of their employees while they are working. This software can be used to monitor employee productivity, ensure compliance with company policies, and prevent data loss or theft.
What Should You Look for in the Best Employee Monitoring Software?
When you evaluate employee monitoring software solutions, you must consider several aspects and features so you pick the solution that is best for your organization. Whether it’s the availability of a free trial, bundled vs. per-user accounts, or features that work best for a remote workforce, your employee monitoring tools need to be customizable to you.
Additionally, here are some other essential aspects to look for:
- Comprehensive monitoring capabilities: Your HR software should offer a range of monitoring features, such as activity tracking, website, mouse and keyboard usage, mobile devices and application usage, email monitoring, task management, or keystroke logging. These features allow you to gather accurate data on employee behavior and identify areas for improvement for in-house or remote employees.
- Data privacy and security:Â Employee privacy is a critical consideration. The software should have robust enough security features and measures to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with privacy regulations. Look for security features like data encryption, user access controls, and anonymization options.
- Customization and flexibility:Â Different organizations have unique employee monitoring features and requirements. The software should provide customization options allowing you to tailor employee monitoring software and parameters to align with company policies and culture. Flexibility in adjusting employee monitoring settings based on roles or departments is also beneficial.
- Reporting and analytics:Â The software should offer comprehensive reporting capabilities to generate insightful analytics and visualizations. You should be able to access reports on employee productivity, time utilization, application usage, and other relevant metrics. This data can help identify trends, measure performance, see productivity trends, monitor employee activity, and make informed decisions.
- User-friendly interface:Â The software should have an intuitive and user-friendly interface for ease of use. You should be able to navigate the system effortlessly, access relevant data, and generate reports without requiring extensive technical expertise or support.
- Integration with HR systems:Â Seamless integration with existing HR systems and tools, such as payroll, attendance management, and performance evaluation software, is crucial. Good connectivity with common HR apps allows for streamlined data sharing and ensures a cohesive HR management ecosystem.
- Compliance with legal and ethical standards: You must ensure that the employee monitoring employee tracking software adheres to legal and ethical standards. It’s essential to review the employee tracking and monitoring software’s compliance with relevant labor laws and regulations to avoid potential legal issues or employee discontent.
- Vendor reputation and support:Â Research the reputation and credibility of the software vendor. Read reviews, testimonials, and case studies to gauge customer satisfaction and support quality. A reliable vendor should provide ongoing technical support, regular updates, and responsive customer service.
You can choose the best employee monitoring software by selecting an employee monitoring system or software that aligns with your organization’s goals, policies, and values.
The 10 Best Employee Monitoring Software
Now that you know what to look for, let’s learn about the best employee monitoring software on the market to see which tool fits your company best.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is a comprehensive productivity platform offering more than employee monitoring tools. With customizable views and features like task management, document collaboration, chat, goals, and whiteboards, ClickUp offers project dashboards that empower teams to plan, organize, and collaborate effectively.
This employee monitoring solution provides a Board view that resembles Trello’s simplicity while offering advanced customization options. ClickUp’s drag-and-drop functionality ensures projects move at the speed of your team.
ClickUp best features
- Workload view shows you how much is on each employee’s plate. With a better idea of work distribution, you can then use Capacity Planning Templates to better spread the load.
- Activity view aggregates all activity and then lets you sort by employee, activity, department, and more
- Project time-tracking templates with automatic start/stop functions that work from all your devices
- Timesheets and reporting tools that rival the best time-tracking software on the market for their ability to analyze productivity and project blockers
- Automatically calculate billable and nonbillable hours
ClickUp limitations
- As a comprehensive project management tool, ClickUp can take some time to learn thoroughly
- Not all template views are available on your smartphone (yet!)
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $5/user
- Business: $12/user
- Business Plus: $19/user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2:Â 4.7/5 (6,770+ reviews)
- Capterra:Â 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)
2. BambooHR
BambooHR is an HR software that includes employee monitoring capabilities. It offers features like tracking employee time off, attendance management, and performance monitoring.
BambooHR streamlines HR processes, enabling efficient employee data management, employee onboarding, employee benefits administration, and more. Its user-friendly interface and intuitive design make it easy for you to navigate and access relevant information.
BambooHR best features
- Deep reporting features track employee retention, employee satisfaction, headcount, and more
- Gauge employee availability at a glance with time off calendars
- Track employee performance with regular assessments, consistent feedback modules, training tools, and goal-setting features
BambooHR limitations
- The user interface is starting to look its age
- Limited customization available
- The employee review feature doesn’t have much space for entries
- BambooHR is US-centric, which makes it less useful for international HR teams
BambooHR pricing
- Contact BambooHR for pricing
BambooHR ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (1,210+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (1,920+ reviews)
3. Veriato
Veriato is powerful employee monitoring software that provides comprehensive visibility into employee activities. It offers activity logging, keystroke tracking, website and application usage monitoring, and real-time alerts. Veriato helps organizations identify potential security risks, improve productivity, manage employee performance, and ensure compliance with company policies and regulations.
Veriato best features
- Behavior-based alerts make it easier for managers to respond to notifications with better context
- Employee screenshotting is a simple way to track work activity
- URL monitoring ensures employees don’t visit unauthorized sites
- Keystroke logging captures every detail of an employee’s activities
- Export data to spreadsheets, text, HTML, and XML files for deeper analysis
Veriato limitations
- A lack of machine-learning capabilities leads to a lot of false results even after actions are marked secure or risky
- Browser updates tend to break the recording feature until the next app update
- Antivirus software frequently blocks app updates, which then require manual attention from IT teams
Veriato pricing
- Vision:Â $179/user
- Cerebral:Â Contact Veriato for pricing
Veriato ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (5+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (120+ reviews)
4. ActivTrak
ActivTrak is a cloud-based employee monitoring software that tracks and analyzes employee computer activity and behavior. Employee computer monitoring software provides insights into application usage, website visits, and time spent on various tasks. ActivTrak’s productivity reports and analytics help you track productivity, identify inefficiencies, set productivity goals, and improve overall performance.
ActivTrak best features
- Customizable reports allow a swift analysis of employee behavior
- A comprehensive, intuitive home dashboard makes it simple to track your most important metrics at a glance
- Responsive customer support is available via chat
- The software provides coaching tips for employees based on behaviors
- See your whole team in real-time with team pulse
ActivTrak limitations
- ActivTrak’s deep feature set comes with a steep learning curve
- The software lacks a solid mobile app
- Customers should prepare for a complicated installation process
ActivTrak pricing
- Free
- Essentials:Â $10/user
- Professional:Â $17/user
- Enterprise:Â Contact ActivTrak for pricing
ActivTrak ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (210+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (540+ reviews)
5. Teramind
Teramind is an advanced employee monitoring software combining user activity monitoring, behavior analytics, and insider threat detection. Users enjoy keystroke logging, file tracking, and real-time employee monitoring solutions. Teramind’s robust reporting and analysis capabilities provide deep insights into employee behavior, enabling proactive management and risk mitigation.
Teramind best features
- Real-time monitoring capabilities for catching problematic activity early
- Customizable alerts fit your needs based on your industry
- Secure data handling gives employees and employers alike peace of mind
- Multiple monitor viewing is a major plus in an age when dual screens are par for the course
Teramind limitations
- It’s a heavy piece of software that can affect device performance
- Teramind is complex to set up
- The software is expensive
- No Linux support is available
Teramind pricing
- Starter:Â $10/user
- UAM:Â $21/user
- DLP:Â $25/user
- Enterprise:Â Contact Teramind for pricing
Teramind ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (90+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (80+ reviews)
6. Interguard
Interguard is a comprehensive employee monitoring tool offering various features, including activity monitoring, web filtering, and time tracking on mobile devices. It helps organizations improve productivity, prevent data loss, track employee activity and security threat protection and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Interguard’s reporting capabilities give you actionable insights into employee behavior and usage patterns.
Interguard best features
- Track active/idle time
- Record employee activity on or off the network
- Keyword-based alerts provide an early warning signal of potential problems
Interguard limitations
- No real-time monitoring
- User interface is a bit lacking
- Many features remain locked until higher paid tiers
Interguard pricing
- Standard:Â $25/user
- Enterprise:Â Contact Interguard for pricing
Interguard ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.3/5 (5+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.9/5 (30+ reviews)
7. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a time-tracking and employee-monitoring tool for remote workers and hybrid work teams. It offers features like activity monitoring, GPS tracking, and online timesheets. Hubstaff enables you to track employee productivity, manage projects, track employee hours, and ensure accurate time reporting for payroll purposes.
Hubstaff best features
- Employee browser and app monitoring encourages productivity
- Mouse tracking helps monitor employee idle time
- Regular screenshots of employee screen record activity for later review
- GPS tracking is helpful in industries where employees don’t report to just one job site
- Automated online timesheets simplify time tracking, payroll, and billing
- Time tracking across devices streamlines data collectionÂ
- Employee scheduling tools make it easy to adjust workloads on the fly
- Payroll and invoice tracking neatly ties time tracking and billing together
Hubstaff limitations
- Lacks workflow views that come standard in other products
- Limited collaboration tools make it difficult to communicate between employer and employee
- No document editor limits the versatility of the tool
- Expensive compared to some alternatives
Hubstaff pricing
- Time Free
- Time Starter:Â $5.83/user
- Time Pro:Â $8.33/user
- Desk Free
- Desk Starter:Â $5.83/user
- Desk Pro:Â $8.33/user
- Field Pro:Â $10/user
- Desk Field:Â $12.50/user
- Enterprise:Â Contact Hubstaff for pricing
Hubstaff ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (410+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6 (91,390+ reviews)
8. Hourly
Hourly is a user-friendly employee monitoring tool focusing on time and productivity tracking. The app boasts automatic time tracking, project tracking, and task management. Hourly provides insights into employee productivity, project progress, and time utilization, empowering you to optimize workflow and resource allocation.
Hourly best features
- Simple-to-use interface
- Track employee time by project and task, which is a critical feature for any project manager
- Clock in/clock-out system works seamlessly with payroll
- Worker’s comp auditing tool ensures the benefit is appropriately used
- Billing is a breeze
Hourly limitations
- The data available in reports is sparse
- Employees can only be set to active/inactive, not deleted
Hourly pricing
- Gold: $6/user + $40 base
- Platinum: $10/user + $60 base
Hourly ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.9/5 (30+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (80+ reviews)
9. VeriClock
VeriClock is a cloud-based employee monitoring solution designed for remote and mobile teams. When you purchase VeriClock, you get GPS tracking, time and attendance management, and geofencing. VeriClock helps you track employee location, ensure accurate time reporting, and streamline payroll processes.
VeriClock best features
- Cloud-based time tracking makes it easy to keep tabs on projects from anywhere
- Excellent integration with Quickbooks and Sage50
- Supports e-signatures
- GPS tracking monitors employee whereabouts on the clock
- Manage employee schedules directly from the app
- Easily categorize employees by role or department
VeriClock limitations
- Not every view is available in the mobile app
- The user interface is sparse
VeriClock pricing
- Standard: $5/user + $10 account fee
VeriClock ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (3+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (30+ reviews)
10. iMonitorSoft
iMonitorSoft is an employee monitoring software that provides real-time employee monitoring solutions and comprehensive user activity logging. It offers features like keystroke tracking, website blocking, and application monitoring. iMonitorSoft helps organizations detect insider threats, improve worker productivity, and ensure compliance with company policies.
iMonitorSoft best features
- Monitor and track keystrokes and online activity
- Real-time alerts notify managers of potentially unauthorized activity
- Screenshots and video playback of employee devices
- Filter and block websites
- Monitor and control desktops remotely
iMonitorSoft limitations
- Built for small businesses, not enterprise companies
iMonitorSoft pricing
- Agent license:Â $5.27/user for the first 15 users, with discounts for higher volumes
- Manager license:Â $125/user
iMonitorSoft ratings and reviews
- G2: 2.5/5 (1+ reviews)
- Capterra: N/A
Learn about the best employee monitoring software for Mac users!
Foster Transparency With Employee Monitoring Software
Effectively implementing employee monitoring software requires involving key stakeholders, including employees, in decision-making. By openly communicating the purpose and benefits and emphasizing transparency and empowerment, you can create a culture of trust and accountability.Â
Additionally, establishing clear policies will ensure employees understand their rights and the data collected. Employee feedback is vital in addressing concerns and demonstrating a commitment to their well-being and growth.
These proactive steps will foster an environment where transparency and productivity go hand in hand. Embrace employee monitoring software’s possibilities and embark on a journey towards a transformed organization.Â
With open communication and a focus on employee support, you can cultivate a workplace where individuals feel engaged, motivated, and empowered to reach their full potential. Start this journey today and witness the positive impact on your organization’s success with ClickUp!
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