Should you be Tracking Your employees’ Internet Usage?

Tracking employee Internet usage: It is not easy to imagine a business environment without the internet. In the modern era, the internet has become a vital part of every individual, not to mention every business.

With YouTube, eBay, and Facebook, as well as access to instant chat and email, it might be tough to refrain from personal Internet use at work. While not everyone has Internet access at work, the vast majority do.

Managers must monitor workers’ internet use to ascertain the time wasted at work. Are they utilizing social media or purchasing online? Monitoring employee internet usage helps staff stay on track and improves business performance.

Understanding Internet Usage At Workplace

In one sense, Internet technology has streamlined the job process. People can now work remotely due to the availability of web technologies. However, it is also one of the most significant causes of workplace distractions. People utilize the Internet not just for their careers but also for their purposes.

Employees spend on average, 10 hours a week using the Internet for personal purposes. As a result, many paid hours are wasted before their realization.

Employers worldwide have thus begun contemplating employee computer monitoring solutions to monitor their online work activity.

In addition to work-time theft, it has been observed that many employees misuse their rights at work. Some employees may neglect their work or even harass others online or offline. Such conduct may lead to workplace disruptions and an unhealthy atmosphere.

Can Businesses Track the Internet Usage of Employees?

“YES.” Employees who access the Internet using business resources or property may be liable for their behavior. Managers should thus have a clear plan for email and internet usage.

Monitoring employee internet usage of corporate resources is also recommended to avoid persistent illegal online behavior such as criminal activity, violations of privacy and copyright laws, legal repercussions, workplace violence, etc. The employees desire privacy while at work, while the employers wish to prevent misuse of working time and business resources.

How Does Monitoring Internet Usage Help Your Business?

Since wages are your most significant expense, any measure that lowers time wastage can provide considerable advantages to your organization.

If employees are aware that their behavior is being watched, they are significantly less inclined to spend long periods on social media or YouTube.

There are further advantages as well: monitoring helps you to determine where your staff are performing and where they are failing online. Monitoring employee internet activity might indicate who requires more training and who does not, allowing for more efficient use of cash.

Tracking internet usage may also improve network security by stopping employees from viewing potentially harmful websites.

Up until now, we’ve explored the concerns of employers. And because of this, they would like to monitor their employees’ Internet usage.

However, there are several other advantages to employing Internet monitoring software. Here, we have shown a few of them.

• It enables you to discover the real-time actions occurring on your workers’ computers, allowing you to block access to non-work related websites that are not productive for business objectives.
• Our personal experience has shown that Internet surveillance enhances employee productivity by at least 10 to 20 percent. In addition, they are compelled to demonstrate their efficiency and competence to their supervisors.
• Internet surveillance would increase output while reducing data use. Therefore, with less investment, you may generate more money.
• You can maintain a close check on the performance and productivity of your staff, enabling you to assess the real-time work output of your organization.
• By monitoring employees’ internet activity, you may ensure that they adhere to industry compliance, rules, and regulations. Employers may take quick steps to control the problem with little collateral damage if an interdisciplinary report is available.

Is it Essential to Track your Employees’ Internet Usage?

Consider if a company must monitor employees’ internet usage. As both employers and employees want to protect their interests, internet surveillance in the workplace may generate tension.

Companies that are web-based and whose workers execute all their jobs online should monitor their employees’ internet usage. The staff may work from home or the workplace.

Therefore, there is no option to monitor employees’ online behavior to determine their productivity, customer connection, and engagement levels.

Occasionally, employees spend time streaming unneeded films, talking with friends, and online shopping, which eventually hinders employee productivity and company success.

Any workplace where internet usage is required, such as remote workers, freelancers, and BPO suppliers, presents the question of whether or not the employees are utilizing the internet properly.

The Challenges of Tracking Employee’s Internet Usage

The advantages of employee tracking are evident. However, there are a few reasons you would not want to monitor your employees’ internet activity, chief among them the effect on morale.

The most effective method for maximizing employee productivity may be monitoring internet usage. However, if employees feel that they are constantly being monitored, this might harm their morale, which in turn could reduce their productivity.

There is also an ethical question: Should companies be allowed to monitor every internet activity of their employees? Employers would not usually monitor an employee’s web activity. Employers do not spy on employees’ talks with their partners or follow them around supermarkets to record their purchases.

However, this is the case when an employer begins monitoring internet usage at the workplace. It may appear to be a good idea, and you may believe it is your right as the owner of the computer network. However, a severe breach of privacy would not be allowed in other settings.

It is also important to note that internet monitoring will likely not successfully avoid time-wasting. If employees know their every action on work computers is being monitored, they will migrate to their mobile devices and utilize a different network.

Therefore, an online surveillance strategy will not produce the desired result: less time wasted. Instead, it will just supplant it. Employees will select the next-best option.

When it comes to surveillance, there are legal standards for companies. If you choose to monitor, you must have documented policies in place.

Your monitoring should be appropriate to the circumstance and warranted. And your team must be informed of how long you intend to store any data you acquire.

Conclusion

The strongest justification for tracking your employees internet usage is to assert that it helps “protect” personnel. You may need to monitor employee internet activity to ensure safety and safeguard corporate assets.

The most crucial point is that staff monitoring is a minefield, and deploying it may have unforeseen repercussions. Ideal workers are unconstrained individuals who like going to work and producing value.

It enables you to discover the real-time actions occurring on your workers’ computers, allowing you to block access to non-work related websites that are not productive for business objectives.

• Internet monitoring enhances employee productivity by at least 10 to 20 percent. In addition, they are compelled to demonstrate their efficiency and competence to their supervisors.
• Internet surveillance would increase output while reducing data use. Therefore, with less investment, you may generate more money.
• You can maintain a close check on the performance and productivity of your staff, enabling you to assess the real-time work output of your organization.
• By monitoring employees’ internet activity, you may ensure that they adhere to industry compliance, rules, and regulations. Employers may take quick steps to control the problem with little collateral damage if an interdisciplinary report is available.