How Clevercontrol Helped to Lower Unproductivity During the Pandemic

In June 2020, the local online edition contacted CleverControl, requesting employee monitoring software that could track productivity, idle and work time. Due to the pandemic, the staff worked from home, and their performance and discipline decreased drastically. Many journalists admitted that they had trouble focusing on work at home with so many distractions around: a cozy sofa, a favourite show, family members and pets asking for attention. As a result, they often postponed writing till the last minute and missed deadlines, or the quality of their writing was below expectations. The management hoped to use CleverControl not only as a tool for tracking idle activities but also as a psychological instrument. The employees will be less likely to disrupt work discipline knowing about the monitoring.

The management's assumption proved to be correct. After installing CleverControl, the work discipline improved noticeably. The employees said that monitoring encouraged them to stay productive and disciplined. Before the monitoring, they struggled to start and finish the work on time. With so many distractions and a lack of control, the employees often began working only in the afternoon or evening and finished writing long after midnight. Of course, it completely ruined their daily routine, and they could not start work on time the next day. And the next. One of the journalists missed the Zoom meeting with the chief editor because he was sleeping. He had worked until 4 am the day before and slept through his alarm clock. Less responsible employees took the opportunity and quietly reduced their work hours to four or five.

With CleverControl in place, the employees knew they had to follow the same work schedule they had in the office. Starting late or leaving early will be registered by the program, and the log will be checked by the manager. CleverControl would also register employees watching Netflix, playing games, browsing Facebook and other entertainment if they used them instead of working. The fact of monitoring itself discouraged the staff from doing anything unwanted.

As a result, the manager revealed fewer violations than he expected, and the goal of improved productivity and discipline was reached. The online edition continued using CleverControl for monitoring throughout the pandemic.

• Activity monitoring

  Recording the beginning and end of the workday encouraged employees to maintain discipline while working remotely.
• Capturing visited websites

  Monitoring Internet usage allowed the manager to reveal unproductive websites the employees visited.
• Social networks tracking

  Like monitoring visited websites, tracking social networks allows to reveal and minimize the unproductive activity of employees.