Small business owners used to be able to walk around their offices to see the work that their employees where doing. But as organizations are have become increasingly virtual, it is now impossible for a manager to accomplish this since work is now done at client sites, coffee shops, and homes.
As a result, many small business owners are up at night wondering if employees are working or just playing video games during the day.
Productivity is Being Impacted
A 2013 Salary.com survey showed that 58% of employees waste up to 60 minutes per day on non-business related websites during the work day, not including lunch or break times.
One solution to this problem is to use an Internet monitoring software service for employees. Web monitoring and filtering is traditionally installed to block adult content, phishing sites, or to reduce time wasted on shopping and social media sites. One company, Rawstream is a cloud-based Web monitoring and filtering product that helps employees spend their time online productively, profitably and safely.
This tool shows the exact amount of time a user spends looking at a particular website. It gives managers the visibility to see what employees are working on in real time no matter where they are via the application dashboard and report generation function. It also allows managers to see what files are being put into sharing apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, and Cubby.
The software shows who is using the content sharing apps and lists any files shared that break company policy to protect against the sharing of files containing sensitive data such as credit card numbers. More importantly, employees have access to their own Web usage reports, so they can examine their own habits and learn to use their time on the Internet more effectively. Managers and employees can also set time limits to access sites or block certain sites.
There are several benefits for small businesses to use Web filtering solutions. Company production can increase when employees are not wasting time on websites that have no business value. Additionally, managers can have more confidence in allowing employees to work off site, giving employees the flexibility to work in an environment they can be most productive.
Sound Too “Big Brother” For You?
Remember that just letting employees know that the company is using an Internet monitoring tool – will actually boost their productivity.
Republished by permission. Originally published at Nextiva.
Big Brother Photo via Shutterstock
