Monitoring employee performance: A brief guide

November 24, 2022

A guide to monitoring employee performance

Today’s challenging economic climate means organisations globally are searching for every advantage they can muster to increase revenue and customer satisfaction. Profit margins are thin, and increased headwinds due to COVID pandemic-related mandates have management searching for new avenues to pursue the lean operational stance they are really in need of. These realities have given rise to a new wave of hybrid workforces, where large chunks of organisational staff are now remote, work-from-home arrangements. This new means of working has completely changed the game in the business world with both employers and employees having to change their approach to their daily tasks and responsibilities within the business.

While advantageous to employees in terms of fewer headaches from commuting and a better work/life balance overall, this leads to new challenges for both management and staff in the form of how to tackle issues like employee performance. Organisations now face questions about how to efficiently and accurately monitor metrics like absenteeism, hours of service, productivity, and tardiness. Without direct, onsite supervision, companies are increasingly seeking out automated solutions they can customise for specific use cases facing hybrid teams serving both in-person and online customers. Using the right tools, business owners are in a much better position to monitor the performance of their team with more accuracy so they can make improvements where necessary. 

Let’s review two popular options many organisations now rely on to better manage employee relations and performance in this new post-pandemic climate of hybrid workforces.

Scheduling applications

To better improve communication and expectations regarding hours of service and scheduling, companies are now realising the benefits an automated rostering application can provide. Employees consistently rank poor scheduling as one of their main complaints in surveys relating to workplace satisfaction. Constantly changing days off due to worker shortages or sick callouts mean your team cannot count on regular sleep schedules, which leads to poor on-the-job performance and possibly leading to poor overall team morale.

Family commitments like transporting children to and from school, and caring for sick relatives all potentially suffer due to inefficient and inconsistent scheduling. The Christmas season is an especially challenging time for companies looking to meet holiday sales goals while juggling compliance requirements and vacation requests. 

Try using timesheet software with your team to improve your organisation’s scheduling requirements. It will lead to better team performance by reducing situations where confusion reigns about when to show up for work. With an efficient employee rostering and scheduling application, you can simplify and automate the process of calling in backup or on-call employees when someone calls out sick or faces other issues preventing them from showing up to work on time. Having a clear picture of who is the primary and backup on call means service commitments can still be met, ensuring you don’t lose valuable revenue during the busiest time of year.

Internet usage monitoring

Another issue organisations face when transitioning to a hybrid workforce is monitoring the internet usage habits of remote employees. Left unchecked, non-work related web surfing can be a huge drain on productivity and lead to missed deadlines, lost revenue, and potential firings if usage is deemed to be detrimental beyond what’s considered to be normal throughout the course of one’s workday.

Keeping tabs on everyone’s habits relating to internet access has taken on new importance in today’s decentralised workforce reality. Companies now realise internet access, while critical to one’s daily job duties, is still a luxury that needs to be well monitored, and clear guidelines describing what is an acceptable use case need to be communicated to contractors and direct hires alike. Using company-issued PCs loaded with the latest internet security suites that collect usage data and provide reporting capability to management is critical to maintaining employee performance and safeguarding customer data.

Lawsuits stemming from data breaches are now commonplace and can lead to costly settlements being paid out as a result of not having the proper security protocols in place to monitor employee activity throughout their hours of online service.

Manage your teams with more confidence

The reality of work-from-home careers is now the norm thanks to rising employee expectations, the pandemic, and the increasing global shift to a more digitally connected lifestyle. While the benefits are many to both organisations and employees alike, remote work arrangements and hybrid workforces mean significant challenges await those management teams tasked with ensuring service levels are met. Using the right tools, business owners can manage their teams with more confidence moving forward, ensure that they monitor employee performance with better accuracy and remain compliant with strict government regulations. With the right approach, you can ensure that your team perform at its very best moving forward, increasing overall performance and improving your bottom line in the long run.

More must-read stories from Enterprise League:

Related Articles