Using Software to Improve Productivity

It is harder than ever to ascertain how productive employees are being and with so many distractions being right at one’s finger tips, and with so many larger companies struggling to even know exactly who is at work and who isn’t on any given day, there is a great potential for individuals to slack off without it ever being noticed.

The computer will need to take the blame for a great deal of this problem and it is not uncommon for employees to spend a huge proportion of their day chatting to friends online or watching videos of cats in pyjamas. Yet, the computer can also help businesses do something about this and it may well be perfectly easy for companies to use time recording and even activity recording software to monitor everything from attendance to the websites they visit and the programs they use.

Of course, the use of such technology will need to be in moderation. No one is advocating an Orwellian system where an employee’s every move is monitored and judged, but by using certain data collection tools businesses may well at least be able to pay individuals only for the hours they are on the premises and flag up any individuals who are clearly spending more time enjoying themselves that getting on with the tasks at hand.

Should you use technology to remove any chance for employees to unwind and relax, there is likely to be a great deal of resentment felt by employees, leading to decreased morale and far less productivity. As such the wrong use of software can backfire completely. However, so long as you are fair and explain that you do not mind them having downtime so long as they work hard too, such software can simply help you be fair, and get the most out of your staff each and every day.