Productivity Business

Alternatives to Employee Monitoring Software

Woman working with computer in the office of a science laboratory

With working from home becoming mainstream, employers search for ways to maintain employee efficiency, develop team relationships and retain workers from a distance. Employee efficiency is a major challenge in today’s remote work environment, leading many employers to turn to employee monitoring software.

As is so often the case, using EMS as the solution to one problem becomes the cause of several others. Few employees welcome the introduction of EMS software into their working lives, leading to damaged work relationships, job-related stress, decreased enthusiasm for work and ultimately the dreaded increase in employee turnover.

Is it possible maximise remote employee productivity while maintaining trust, fostering team relationships, preventing employee stress and increasing employee retention? Indeed, there is. Quickskills clients have found that through a combination of approaches, it’s possible to increase employee efficiency by increasing employee knowledge, all while increasing job satisfaction and improving the workplace environment.

Employee Tools

Employees can only do their jobs properly when they have the right tools. If you find employee productivity decreasing in a remote work environment, the solution might be as simple as improving work tools and procedures. Do your employees use dedicated workspaces at home? Are there operating systems and work software up to date? Is the internet connection in their homes fast enough for your company’s needs? Have you introduced and encouraged use of project management apps like Asana? Does your team have a chat/messaging group on Zoom, Slack or Telegram where team members can ask questions, get help and otherwise keep everyone up to date? Some of these work tools might be considered superfluous in an office environment, but when it comes to working from home they are absolute essentials. Just as in-office work requires one set of tools, remote work requires another.

Learning Management Systems

Lacking proper training, your team members muddle through daily tasks, accomplishing only a fraction of what they could be. This is where a high-quality, multifunctional learning management system comes into play. Think of an LMS as your company’s multipurpose educational repository. Your company creates, updates and distributes learning material to your team via your LMS. The possibilities are many: traditional or game-based online training courses, mobile applications, eLearning assessments, social learning support, progress monitoring, skill and knowledge testing, and etc.

Employee training has traditionally been a major financial burden for companies. LMS software enables your company to easily and cost effectively create a plethora of online-based training resources, which can be accessed at any time. Whereas traditional job training is a one-time event, LMS enables your company’s training resources, procedures and policies to remain freely available for employees to view and review whenever the need arises. Your employees are better prepared to solve their own job-related questions and challenges, saving valuable time. You as the employer have full access to content creation and distribution, which can be altered and updated as your company’s needs change.

Supportive Company Culture

When your company creates a positive work environment, your employees can’t help but be enthusiastic about their jobs, workplaces and team members. People care about impressing those who they have good relationships with, and who hold high opinions of them. Similarly, employees are much more likely to do their jobs well and stick around when they feel that their skills are needed and valued.

A virtual work environment can be just as supportive as the traditional brick-and-mortar office. Some examples of how to create a supportive work environment include: supervisors who lead, not manage; employers who value their people; team members who are encouraged to cooperate, not compete; committed and focused leadership; company goals and positive incentives for goal achievement.

Employee monitoring software can easily become a band aid solution to the problem of decreasing employee productivity. Rather than focus on the short-term benefit of increasing employee productivity via increased monitoring -and suffering the disadvantages which come along with that-, focus on long-term solutions.

Remote employee productivity requires a holistic approach. By making sure your employees have the proper tools to do their jobs, teaching and training via LMS-based eLearning solutions and creating a supportive work environment, you naturally optimise employee productivity. Just as important, you develop strong team/leader relationships and ultimately reduce employee turnover.

Author

Danielle Garrison

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