As the workforce continues to grow and change, so does the kind and location of employees. Outsourcing and telecommuting are quickly becoming a normal part of the workday. But, as an employer, it can be difficult to keep an eye on your employees if they don’t (or can’t) come into the office. How can you be sure that they’re working and not watching funny videos all day?
While it’s definitely important to trust your employees, you can also have the additional security of knowing when they’re working for you. Here are eleven tools to help you monitor your staff even when you don’t work in the same place.
1. Google+ Hangouts
This is a common option because the name will be easily recognized, virtually anyone can have access to it and it’s also a free service. There are limits to this service, however, one of which is an occupant max per conference call. This is also a great option because of how flexible and well-known the brand is. You can coordinate meetings and conference calls across the various mobile platforms, both on Android or iPhone.
2. Ximble
With a low monthly cost and various features, Ximble is a great choice for employee tracking. There is multilanguage support so you can communicate across countries. There is a feature that allows you to complete your staff payroll easily and without any extra hassle. They offer a mobile component so you can be aware of any changes or issues even if you are on the go.
3. Freckle
If you don’t want to add any clutter to your computer, this is a great piece of software. Operating out of your web browser, Freckle lets you track projects, remote employee time usage and create invoices to better organize your workspace. They also offer a free trial so you can test it before you commit.
4. LiquidPlanner
This software specializes in project portfolio management and individual project tracking. When your employees are working, they have the option of either running a real-time clock or entering their time manually. It also utilizes a timesheet feature, which lets you combine multiple, repeated tasks so you can be better records.
5. WORKetc
This web-based tool is actually a combination of systems. This software manages projects, billing, sales and other tasks. This program also lets you be as free with your own telecommuting as your employees. You can access the software wherever you are so you can follow your employees as they work.
6. Trigger
Trigger is a time-tracking software that also has tables meant for client information tracking. If you’re in sales, your team can create different categories and manage their information. Using the different color grids, which will let you track your employees easily by name and picture. It’s also one of the cheaper options.
7. iDoneThis
If you’re looking for a tracker that doesn’t require your constant attention, this is it. This software tracking system allows you to get updates without any extra typing or input. Your remote employees are required to submit an email that lists their daily completed tasks. The email is automatically sent to you for review, with the compiled data from each worker. By having each worker input what they actually completed versus just how much time was used, you can track achievements too.
8. Timely
Boasting an easy-to-use interface, Timely is one of the best time monitoring apps. Instead of a general time clock, it has project-specific trackers. This way you’ll be able to learn how much time you need for a project. There is also the useful feature of email notification, which will alert you in case the project clock is still going.
9. MySammy
MySammy is another of the more in-depth trackers available. It doesn’t have cursor tracking but instead uses a bar graph to represent productivity. It displays productively used time in green and other, less work-related time in red. What’s nice is that what gets the red or green placement is entirely up to you. They offer a month-long free trial and have one of the cheaper payment options.
10. TSheets
One of the hassles of remote employees is coordinating their available schedules. You also have to worry about managing pre-work punch-ins and post-shift punch outs. TSheets has more than one option for your employees to record their time so you’ll always be up to date with this information.
11. Worksnaps
This is another time-tracking software choice for those who need more frequent and more detailed status updates. Along with time, this will what your employees type as well as mouse movements. It takes screenshots every ten minutes and also makes a list of which applications your employees are using.
Featured photo credit: StartupStockPhotos via pixabay.com
