How to Monitor Employees Working from Home? (11 Steps to Follow)

Keeping track of remote teams and managing their productivity can be very challenging. Monitoring employees working from home isn’t just about oversight; it’s about ensuring productivity, maintaining accountability, and fostering a positive work environment.

When employee monitoring is done perfectly, it can skyrocket your team’s performance and help you win big. Below, I’ve covered the best practices for remote employee supervision:

• 11 Proven steps to ensure effective employee monitoring
• Benefits of remote work tracking tools
• Why should you monitor employees working from home?
• What to remember while monitoring? 
• How to know if WFH employees are genuinely working?
• Tool to make your remote work monitoring successful 

11 Steps to Monitor Remote Employees Working from Home

For most success in WFH monitoring you have to focus on a systematic approach without any shortcuts. Here are some of the most useful remote employee oversight techniques.

Here are the steps for implementing working-from-home employee monitoring solutions.

Define your objectives properly

To start off you first have to set your expectations and write down clear objectives. In one sentence it is all about “what you want to monitor & why?” 

Start by pinpointing the core elements – time, tasks, projects or communication. Then you have to set the desired matrics for each part. For example: 

• Minimum 6/7 active working hours per day
• Project/task deliverables list
• Minimum daily productivity threshold
• Daily standup and EOD meetings etc. 

You have to clearly outline these work hours, deliverables, and communication standards to avoid any misunderstanding. Consider SMART goal metrics to align the overall process with company broader objectives and individual KPIs. 

Setting these up properly will ensure you an effective remote work monitoring system. 

Choose the right tools to monitor & track

Your tool selection for remote monitoring can either make or break the deal. So, I recommend you be very objective and careful in this regard. Mostly these 2 types of tools are more than good enough. 

Remote employee monitoring / Time tracking tool

Tracking employee hours while working from home is almost impossible without time tracking software. This software enables you to track your employee time with screenshots, and monitor their home office work productivity.

Furthermore, it tracks tasks and employee activity on the web and other applications seamlessly. Allowing you direct access to your employee at any time from any place.  

Moreover, the report and timesheet features further helps you align your team with your overall targets. This tool analyzes the work pattern and activity of your employee and lets you know when the employee is working diligently or is sitting idle. 

Time tracking or device monitoring software is especially helpful to keep your work from home employees under observation and also to find out what went wrong if they somehow miss a deadline. 

You can start off by using: Apploye, Toggl for your basic or advance time tracking needs.

‍Project management tool

Immediately after the time tracking tool I’d insist you to get a project or task management software for your team. Although time tracker tools like Apploye give you task management features, for advance work it’s recommended to use a solid project management tool. 

My suggestion would be: Trello(for kanban), clickup(for task management). They also come with free versions so you can try these risk free. After setting up the project management tool make sure to integrate it with the app you just installed previously. 

Share the rules & guidelines

If you want to Monitor employee activity in a remote environment, you need to set some rules and guidelines. It’ll make life easier for both employers and employees. 

Here are a few things you that you must mention in your rules and guidelines:

• Minimum working hours
• Productivity rate (if needed based on the role)
• Reporting
• Check-in and check-out time
• Project objectives and KPIs etc.

Based on the job role you may change or iterate the rules but the core rules stay the same. 

Next, document these rules in an easily accessible format, such as an employee handbook or a remote work guidebook. Make sure these documents are clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Additionally, try to highlight the tools and methods used for monitoring your remote staff. Be very transparent about what data will be tracked, how it will be used, and finally who will have access to it. 

This openness is highly encouraged to build trust and address the privacy concerns.

Implement regular check-ins

Checking attendance and making sure that employees are at their desks is very crucial for managing a remote team. Announce a standard check in and check out time to make sure they keep working constantly and diligently.

You can check the best clock-in and out apps out there, which will help you maintain this easily. Typically time tracker apps have these features by default. 

Monitor output & activity

Only monitoring employees' time sometimes is not enough. In some specific cases you have to monitor output and activity along with monitoring the remote team. 

Because an employee can easily go out of track or lose focus and can start doing tasks that don't add much weight on the overall goals. So no matter how productive he is on his derailed tasks, it’s always useless.

To save the team these at the end of the project you have to keep track of individual outputs. Consider using project management software’s task completion rates and reviewing their tasks regularly to ensure the best result.

Also make project completion one of the core KPIs so that the employees keep this on the top of the mind. 

Report & Evaluation

Reporting has proven to be an effective method of keeping track of employees from an early stage. Here you can utilize timesheets and different reports to make sure everything is on check. 

Performance-based comparison reports and activity and productive time reports are the ones to best judge any scenario easily and quickly. From employers end you can check different daily, weekly and monthly statistics to ensure who is performing well and who isn’t. 

Ensure data security

Data security has become a very crucial factor for both remote employees and employers. Employers monitor employees working from home and have to be very careful regarding data security.

Make sure to implement:

• Strong password policy
• 2 factor authentication
• Safe internet use (recommend VPN if needed)
• Regular data backup

Additionally, educate employees on recognizing phishing attempts and safe internet practices to ensure maximum data safety. 

Promote transparency, trust and privacy

As days go by people are getting increasingly concerned about privacy and transparency. And remote team productivity monitoring software is now at its center point.

To keep track of employees working from home you have to let them know what data you’re tracking and why. It’s best to strictly track the work related data only and respect their privacy.

Let them know:

• How the data will be tracked
• Where the data will be stored
• Who will have access to this data
• How these data will be evaluated

Keep complete transparency and give employees the access to view and delete their data if they want. 

Also make sure the data isn’t accessible to anyone other than the designated people. Being open about your practices helps build trust, showing employees that monitoring is there to support them, not to micromanage. 

Provide support and resources

Employees tend to solve their difficulties much more quickly in the office setting. But for work-from-home employees who work in various time zones it’s really hard. 

To make their life easy you need to group up all the required resources in one center place and make them easily accessible. You can create different role based SOPs, instructions videos, help articles, etc.

Additionally keep a support window always open and appreciate them reaching out to you for help regularly. 

Review and adjust policies

People often undermine the effectiveness of regular review and adjustment of remote work monitoring practices. It’s one of the major issues companies are suffering but they can’t even identify it. 

Keep a quarterly or half yearly review slot booked for your team to carefully evaluate the policies. Make sure you cover employee performance, project completion, employee satisfaction rate etc. while reviewing. And finally adjust the policies accordingly. 

Keep in touch

Always keep the communication line open with your team members and coworkers. Encourage casual conversation once in a while to reduce the isolation. 

Utilize communication tools like slack, skype and zoom to ensure seamless connectivity. Regular interaction will help the team to foster bonding and enhance team dynamics. 

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What are the Challenges of Remote Work Monitoring?

Monitoring remote work can be tough for both employees and employers. Here are some common challenges:

Privacy Concerns

Nobody likes the feeling that they’re being watched all day. Employees may worry about their privacy and feel uneasy about constant oversight. Finding the right balance between supervision and privacy can be tricky.

Over-Monitoring

Too much tracking can stress out remote workers. It makes them feel micromanaged. This not only affects productivity but can also hurt morale.

Measuring Productivity

The usual ways don’t apply when monitoring employee performance in remote setups. It's more about the quality of the work than just the quantity or how quickly it’s done.

However, since monitoring virtual team output is harder to quantify, sometimes, figuring out what to measure can be a challenge.

Technology Issues

Technology isn’t always reliable. Issues with the internet, software glitches, and hardware failures impact effective monitoring of remote workers and how much you can track them.

Data Security

Some of the tools that monitor employees who are working from home or remotely need access to sensitive information. Without proper handling, it poses security risks. This puts personal and company data at risk.

Lack of Trust

There’s a fine line when it comes to monitoring remote employees.

If you go overboard, it can break down trust and reduce morale. People don’t want to feel like they’re being watched all the time, and constant oversight can be demotivating.

To supervise remote employees, you’ll require a lot of self-discipline, and employees need room to prove they can stay on track without someone monitoring them continuously.

Legal and Ethical Issues

When figuring out how to keep tabs on workers working from home, you need to balance accountability and privacy. Follow laws like the GDPR or CCPA, which regulate how you collect and use employee data.

If you’re gathering personal information without their clear consent or without being upfront about it, you could end up in some serious legal trouble. 

Ethically, there's a fine line between checking in on productivity and invading privacy. Employees can feel uneasy or even stressed if they think they’re being watched too closely.

How Monitoring Remote Employees Drives Business Growth

Some of the notable benefits of using time-tracking software for remote teams:

Boosts Productivity: By tracking work hours and activities, WFH employees stay more focused and use their time efficiently.

Enhances Accountability: Knowing their activities are monitored, employees are more likely to meet deadlines and maintain high standards.

Improves Resource Allocation: Data insights help managers distribute workloads effectively and identify areas that need additional support.

Builds Trust and Communication: Transparent monitoring practices ensure employees understand the right purpose. Which leads them to better engagement and motivation.

Increases Work Quality: Regular monitoring helps maintain consistent performance and ensure high-quality output across the team.

What Features to Look for in a Remote Employee Monitoring Software

Picking the right remote employee monitoring software can really change how you manage a dispersed team. You need something that works for managers and employees. It’ll provide the oversight you need without feeling invasive.

Let’s explore the key features you should focus on:

Time Tracking and Attendance

A solid time-tracking for employees working from home and an attendance system offer insight into who's working on what and how much.

If you're looking for a system, here’s what you’ll want:

Automatic & Manual Time Tracking

Look for software like the Apploye Time Tracker, which gives you both automatic and manual time-tracking options.

Manual tracking lets you control when the clock starts and stops, while automatic tracking removes human errors.

So, you get the best of both worlds, flexibility when you need it and accuracy when it counts.

Attendance Management

Managing sick days, vacations, and other time-off requests should be simple.

The WFH employee monitoring software should track all that without a hitch. It should keep records clean and manage absences smoothly.

Timesheet Generation

Another must-have feature for the remote teams working from home software is Timesheet for Employees.

Now, employees can quickly log their work hours, including start and stop times.

You can see their accurate attendance organized in a neat timesheet. It will be automatically generated.

The Timesheet mainly breaks down your tasks, projects, spent hours, etc. It's useful mainly for reporting, performance reviewing, and client or project billing.

Productivity Monitoring

To track work-from-home employee performance correctly, the remote employee monitoring software should include the following features:

Screen Capture

With this feature, capturing visual proof of work is simple and it doesn't feel like trespassing.

Here’s what you get with the Apploye Time Tracking with Screenshots app:

• Random Screenshots: Automatically get periodic screenshots to see what the remote workers are doing on their computers.

• Manual Screenshots: Admins take a screenshot of any employee's screen whenever needed.

• Configurable Frequency: Adjust how often screenshots are taken to monitor correctly.

Keystroke Log and Mouse Movement Track

Keystroke Logging tracks how many keystrokes an employee types. It can give you a rough idea of their productivity.

But remember, just counting keystrokes doesn’t guarantee how productive someone is. It’s more useful when combined with other indicators.

Also, mouse movement keeps tabs on how often and intensely someone uses their mouse.

If there’s no mouse activity for some time, the person might be taking a break or deep in thought. On the flip side, lots of mouse movement could mean they’re actively working.

App and URL Monitoring

The Apps & URL Reports functionality allows admins to check what employees are doing during work hours.

Tracking which apps employees use during work hours can give you a clearer picture of where their time goes.

Are they getting distracted, or could they use better tools to boost productivity?

You can know this and ensure your workers stay focused on work-related tasks by keeping an eye on the apps and websites they visit when working.

But, you also have to maintain privacy. It’s all about finding that sweet spot between monitoring employees and restricting their online activities unfairly.

Idle Time Detection

Idle time detection is a handy feature that spots when employees are away from their desks. 

Get an app like Apploye Online Time Tracking for remote teams that automatically tracks inactivity. It uses smart algorithms to figure out when someone’s been idle. These algorithms look at things like keystrokes, mouse movements, and how often different applications are used.

Project Management

Project management features built into monitoring software for employees working outside the office will keep things organized. Even with teams spread across different locations.

You can assign tasks, track progress, and manage deadlines all in one place.

By bringing project management into these platforms, teams get a central hub to work together smoothly. It makes sure projects stay on course and deliverables get done, no matter where everyone’s working from. It keeps everyone connected and on the same page.

User Experience and Integration

A user-friendly and well-integrated software can significantly enhance its effectiveness. Consider these factors:

• Easy to Use: The software should be simple both for employees and managers. A user-friendly design removes the learning curve and makes it easy to get started.

• Mobile-Friendly: It should work well on mobile devices. This flexibility lets employees track activities whether working from home or on the go.

• Seamless Integrations: Choose software that connects smoothly with your existing tools, like project management apps, HR systems, and communication platforms. This minimizes manual data entry.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

This feature of the WFH worker monitoring tool is crucial for protecting sensitive company information.

When employees are working from home, there’s a higher risk of data breaches. It can occur from unauthorized access, accidental downloads, or intentional theft.

DLP observes what employees are doing, like file transfers, email communications, and clipboard usage. It helps catch and block any attempts to copy, download, or share confidential data outside the company.

This way the data stays secure and the company remains compliant with industry regulations, even when everyone is working remotely.

Why should you monitor remote employees working from home?🏘️

As you have decided to employ people willing to work for you from home or choose to send back your workforce to the house and work from there, it's time to learn how to monitor employees working from home. But before that, we've to focus on the reasons why you should track work-from-home employees.

• WFH employees are prone to distractions -
  It’s obvious yet mentionable that while working from home, employees will be distracted by different triggers and disturbances- a well-cooked recipe, children, calling bell, ongoing programs on the TV channels, and many more! Without monitoring, it's tough to have them focused.
• A little thrust can help you get the best out of them -
  Monitoring work-from-home employees could be a blessing for both you and your workers. As the employees are working with full-fledged flexibility, a little nudge and heads-up can help them leverage the latitude they enjoy and push their productivity upward.
• Too much flexibility damages productivity -
  ‍Yet again, flexibility can act like a killer in disguise. Working in the drawing room in a casual dress without any hustling of office premises would be too comforting, and don’t be surprised if you catch the employees off-guard.
• Increased security -
  If you are concerned about cybersecurity or data security, WFH monitoring can help you. Employees using malicious tools or visiting fishy sites can compromise the security of company data. That’s why by monitoring work-from-home employees you can avoid the chance of data theft or security breaches.

What to remember while monitoring remote WFH employees 💻

Three things you must remember while monitoring work-from-home employees. They are as follows:

• Respect employee privacy during WFH monitoring
  ‍Every individual deserves respect for their secrecy. If, as an employer, you walk through that private part and neglect the fine line between monitoring and scrutinizing, then you’ll lose your respect too.
• Don’t run into micromanagement
  ‍Monitoring doesn’t mean you have to be there 24/7. Supervising doesn’t tell you to make employees uncomfortable in their job. So, micromanaging is an urge that must be suppressed no matter what.
• You can’t monitor everything, so you don’t need to.
  ‍You don't need to be concerned about everything an employee does. You are expected to monitor only those activities that matter. So, don't overburden yourself.

How do you know if WFH remote employees are genuinely working? 🏡

Following are the seven strategies that would be helpful in keeping the WFH (Work from home) employees focused on the work.

• Daily standup meetings or monthly town hall
  ‍Every successful company believes in the power of a small standup meeting at the beginning of the work, which can act as a plan-making session. A monthly discussion or a retrospective meeting at the end of any definite time duration can help the company learn from its mistakes and reframe the workflow.

• Set quantifiable goals on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis -
  ‍Setting goals on different time and financial bases can help you stay on track till the goal is successfully pursued. Delegate managers to set goals that are quantifiable and achievable.
• Screenshot of work-from-home employees 📸
  ‍Screenshot monitoring software is now everywhere, and it can do magic for you. While monitoring employees working from home, screenshot monitoring software can keep employees accountable for their work by taking screenshots randomly. Few of them also have the option for taking real-time instant screenshots.
• Checking the app usage
  ‍Monitoring apps lets you check what software employees are using during their course of action. So, you can manage work-from-home teams better. You’ll also be able to acknowledge whether they are using the right tools or intentionally wasting their time on different media players!
• Tracking the URLs
  ‍It's another strategy for holding the employees on the right track. Checking the websites your employees are visiting is also a metric you can set to see how productive they really are.
• End of day report
  ‍You can generate a habit of sending end-of-day reports (EOD reports) to your employees to report their on-day activities and other details.

Apploye - The Ultimate Tool to Monitor Employees Working From Home 🏠

Apploye could be the desired WFH monitoring tool for you if you wonder how to track employees working from home effectively or not . The pricing of Apploye is reasonable but it gives away comparatively more features than its competitors. Some of them are

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🌟 Clock-in and attendance

The time tracking feature of Apploye offer Clock-In Clock-out, Time entry notes, Pomodoro Timer, Billable hours tracking, etc. There is an option for idle time monitoring as well. These are useful in monitoring work from home workers.

🌟WFH employee monitoring

For monitoring remote employees or WFH employees, the RemoteTrack option of Apploye is bliss! It offers random screenshots, URL tracking, and Apps usage. You can easily know which software your employees are using or which website your employees are visiting. There is an option for real-time instant screenshots as well.

🌟 Reporting & dashboard

The dashboard of Apploye is an extensive one that offers everything from the total hours worked by the team to top-performing employees based on time logged and productivity. You can get activity analytics reports in different time duration, which are exportable.

🌟 Task Management

Via Apploye task timer, you can create & assign tasks to the employees directly. Employees can create their own tasks under assigned projects as well. You can also see the task-wise time log for all employees.

🌟 Projects & budgeting

Project management with time tracking is straightforward with Apploye. Through Apploye, you will be able to open numerous projects, assign people, set the budget, see the progress in terms of time spent and cost, set budget alerts, and many other things.

As it is said that working from home is now the new normal, adapting to this new practice must be done methodically with proper measures. If you fail to monitor employees working from home, you will be far behind those that embraced and mastered it. So, the sooner you sharpen your monitoring weapons, the better it is for your business.