How AI-Powered Employee Monitoring Can Improve Productivity

For many people the words “employee monitoring” paints a picture of overbearing boss trying to control every aspect of an helpless employee’s life. So, naturally most employees hate the very idea of monitoring. But no, employee monitoring isn’t about enslaving people; it’s about helping people become the best version of themselves on the job.

Regardless of your bias about employee monitoring, though, one thing is certain — it is here to stay. According to a recent study carried out by the American Management association, about 80% of the 1600+ corporations sampled, utilize one form of electronic monitoring or the other for their employees. This is a long way from the 35% recorded about two decades earlier. And the advent of artificial Intelligence (AI) has probably played a role in this.

How Employee Monitoring Benefits both Employers and Employees

If you keep an open mind while thinking about it, you’ll come to discover that employee monitoring doesn’t only enable employers to get their money’s worth out of their employees, it actually can help employees a great deal.

Humans need motivation and most times a little monitoring can provide it. Swerving off to Instagram or Youtube, while on the job isn’t an uncommon thing. In fact studies have shown that about 64% of employees surf the web for personal interests while on the job. And while some might argue that recreation fuels productivity, the truth remains that you can only be productive, when you’re actually doing the job.

Here are a few ways employee monitoring actually benefits everyone:

1. It helps people get better at their jobs:

If there is one thing every expert agrees to, it is the fact that expertise comes over time by repetition. In short, the more time you spend actually working, the faster you’ll develop expertise on the job. And activity-monitors can help a great deal with this. For instance, employees can use time-tracking software such as Time Doctor to keep track of how they spend their time and derive valuable insights as to how they can be more productive on the job.

2. It Can help with work-life balance:

The inability to complete tasks during working hours sometimes forces some employees to engage in work-related activities after work. But this is where monitoring software can help a great deal. For instance, Time tracking tools help employees to free up time by discarding distracting activities to focus on work that actually matters.

Some AI–powered software also help to take charge of repetitive tasks such as meeting scheduling, thereby freeing up time to focus on really important tasks. This sense of focus can help to hit your target every working day, which means you can focus on yourself and family after hours. 

3. It helps employers make informed decisions:

Making major decisions without solid data to back it up is always a risky business. This is where employee monitoring insights become precious. For example, AI-powered monitoring software can help to rightly decide which employees qualify for promotions based on their productivity, work ethics and contribution to company growth.

The Bottom Line

Employee monitoring can be a good thing for both employers and employees… provided it is used properly. However, employers should be wary of going overboard in its usage and respect the privacy of their employees. One thing is certain though, employee monitoring is here to stay… and we should be excited about it.

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