Improving Workflow

At the beginning of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was gaining momentum, a marketing agency from Leeds, like many other businesses, was forced to switch to the remote work model.

After the restrictions were lifted, some employees asked if they could continue working remotely. The management agreed to allow a remote work model upon installing employee monitoring software. The director explained it as a measure to ensure the engagement of remote workers. The director also explained what data may be collected and how it will be used.

The company chose CleverControl for flexibility and controllability. The employees were going to use their personal computers for work, so they needed the option to switch off monitoring at the end of the workday. The security of the collected data was also a top priority for the same reason since the program could occasionally capture some personal data. The company also required an opportunity to see the staff's work in real-time to ensure engagement.

The employees installed CleverControl themselves, which made them feel more control over the onboarding process. Thanks to user-friendliness and simplicity, the installation did not require any IT knowledge and could be conducted by less tech-savvy employees. Only a handful of executives had access to the gathered logs to protect the staff's privacy.

Monitoring revealed that the remote employees' active time on their computers was less than eight working hours. Yet, they met all the deadlines and were highly appreciated by their colleagues and the management. During the conversation with the head of the department, one of the remote workers confessed that his workload was low and he had a lot of free time in the office. He had asked to work remotely to secretly spend that free time with his family or on his hobbies.

The management analyzed other employees' work and found that the workload was spread unevenly. By offering additional training and repurposing some employees, the company managed to achieve higher levels of involvement and productivity. These steps also helped to boost the employees' enthusiasm by offering them new interesting tasks.

• Active time tracking

  Tracking how much time the employee actively works on their computer helps to reveal slackers and problems and allocation of responsibilities.
• Controllability

  Employees who use personal devices for work can disable monitoring after the end of the workday and not worry about the security of their private data.
• Real-time monitoring

  Monitoring employees in real-time lets the managers see what they work on and detect productivity decreases.