Improving Motivation: The Surprising Role of Employee Monitoring

Motivation is one of the key factors affecting employee productivity and, consequently, the company's success. The results of the meta-analysis conducted by Gallup show that businesses with highly engaged workforce are 21% more profitable and 17% more productive than those with unengaged employees. Motivated employees are also 87% less likely That is why managers constantly search for various ways to boost employee motivation. Motivation methods are usually associated with material bonuses, but, in fact, there are other equally effective ways to increase morale.

One of the unexpected choices is employee monitoring. In addition to its direct purpose, it can be a great tool to improve motivation. How? Let's explore it in this article.

First, let's learn how motivation works. Motivation is a complex interplay of various factors, both internal and external. Internal factors include:

• A sense of purpose. Employees are more likely to be motivated when they know their work has meaning and contributes to the company's large goals.

• Autonomy. Employees want control over how they approach work tasks and the opportunity to make decisions.

• Intellectual challenges. Tasks that challenge employees' skills and knowledge are great motivators.

• Mastery. For some employees, their desire to excel and achieve professional goals can be a great motivation.

External factors are:

• Compensations and benefits. Bonuses, fair salaries, and competitive benefits are some of the strongest motivators for most workers.

• Recognition. Acknowledging and celebrating employees' achievements, both big and small, can significantly boost morale.

• Clear expectations and goals. Clearly defined goals and expectations provide a sense of direction and purpose.

• Positive work environment. Employees spend most of their day at work. The negative environment may impact their mood, lead to isolation, and make finding satisfaction from work difficult. Eventually, employees' motivation will degrade in such conditions.

• Relationship with managers and leaders. Relationships built on mutual trust will help employees openly express their needs and work difficulties. Such openness will help managers provide the necessary support and find the right methods to motivate the team.

• Training and learning opportunities. Most employees want to achieve their full potential. Giving them opportunities to grow professionally will improve employees' motivation, especially Generation Y's.

Now that we've explored the key drivers of employee motivation, let's delve into how employee monitoring can be strategically employed to amplify these factors.

First, it is important to note that employee monitoring will benefit your team's productivity and motivation only if it is implemented openly, transparently, and with respect to employee privacy. Using tracking software secretly will undermine employees' trust and ruin their morale.

Here is how the ethical use of monitoring can improve motivation.

The human psyche is inherently influenced by external stimuli. Knowing that their work activities are monitored, employees will be motivated to prioritize their direct work responsibilities and manage their work time more effectively.

Awareness of monitoring fosters self-discipline and helps resist impulsive behaviors, such as a sudden urge to check incoming messages on Facebook or what's new on one's favorite online shop.

However, employees should understand how you judge certain activities or active/inactive periods at work; otherwise, they may experience stress and neglect necessary breaks to remain "productive."

At first glance, tracking may seem counterintuitive to autonomy and vaguely related to the desire to excel. However, if employees have access to tracking logs and productivity scores, they can better understand their work patterns and make efforts to adjust them to be more efficient.

Seeing how their productivity score and number of completed tasks improve, the employees will experience satisfaction upon reaching the goals and be inspired to push further.

Manual performance evaluations are often subjective and biased. Managers can unintentionally target some employees and diminish their input for personal reasons. For example, they may unconsciously believe these workers to be "lazy" or "dislikable" or discriminate against them because of their gender or beliefs. At the same time, other employees' high performance frequently goes unnoticed, which eventually leads to their frustration and search for another place where their input will be recognized.

Employee monitoring software eliminates these biases. An objective analysis of each employee's activity reveals those whose performance consistently exceeds expectations. This way, they can receive the acknowledgment they deserve and get a motivation boost.

Employee monitoring can also be used to identify employees who may be struggling. The software collects such information as inactivity time, low productivity, and work-related search queries. Managers can analyze this information to not only identify struggling workers but also specific areas in which they struggle. This targeted approach allows managers to provide timely and effective assistance, helping underperforming employees to improve their performance and reach their full potential.

CleverControl, the advanced employee monitoring solution, provides an innovative feature for improving productivity and motivation - AI Scoring. The powerful AI engine automatically evaluates each employee's activity according to their field and position standards, calculates individual productivity scores, and provides clarifications. This feature quickly pinpoints weak spots and makes performance evaluations effortless. Learn more about AI Scoring in this article.

Deep employee activity monitoring can reveal individual performance gaps and highlight areas where employees need additional training. For example, an employee may struggle with a particular software or consistently miss deadlines. When managers learn about these bottlenecks, they can offer targeted training on time management or using that application.

Tailoring training programs to the specific needs of individual employees maximizes their effectiveness in professional growth and motivation. When employees feel that they are constantly learning and growing, they are more likely to be motivated, confident, and satisfied with their job.

To create a truly efficient motivation system, managers should know the factors that drive motivation, and which work for their employees. Employee monitoring, when implemented ethically and openly, can not only amplify these factors but serve as a motivator itself.

Employee monitoring can improve motivation by encouraging the worker's sense of responsibility and wish to grow professionally. It provides valuable insights into work patterns, allowing employees to understand their strong and weak points and improve their performance. These insights are no less practical for managers, allowing them to recognize high performers, identify inefficient work processes and knowledge gaps, and provide targeted support.

Using employee monitoring as a tool for tracking performance and motivation, companies can create a more motivated, engaged, and successful workforce.