The Best Employee Monitoring Software of 2022

Employee monitoring software is a digital solution that provides a way for businesses to monitor, record and manage employees' online behavior while they are on company time. Whether you have a few employees or several hundred, the software can be useful, because there are so many distractions in the modern workplace for both onsite and remote employees, especially for those who use internet-connected devices to complete their daily tasks.

While employees can be trusted to do the right thing most of the time, there is always an opportunity for them to engage in unproductive behavior on company time. Worse yet, employees could be insider threats – exhibiting reckless or malicious behavior that jeopardizes your business.

You can track your employees' activity and productivity on company time with employee monitoring software. The most basic features include web browsing, which allows you to see the websites your employees visit; application monitoring, which shows you the specific apps employees use; and activity tracking, which monitors keyboard and mouse activity so you can detect whether employees are actually working during their work hours.

Many solutions include keystroke logging, which shows you what your employees type across web browsers and applications – including chat messages and emails – along with a dated timestamp. This can be an incredibly useful window into your staff's activity. Some of these programs even look through the devices' cameras.

Employee monitoring software includes a wide range of features to keep tabs on how employees spend their time at work. The best monitoring software lets you and other administrators set specific rules and policies for different members of your company and receive notifications when the rules have been broken.

Whether you run a big company with hundreds of employees or a small business with a handful of workers, you can find monitoring software that fits your needs and budget.

Tip: Before looking for employee monitoring software, determine what type of employee activity you want to track and why. Some businesses may need extensive monitoring solutions, whereas others can save money with more basic software.

Businesses can use different types of monitoring to optimize their operations. Three of the most common methods are software, email and network monitoring.

• Software monitoring: This is another term for employee monitoring software, which you install on employees' computers to track their activities. Depending on the software you choose, it can track the websites an employee visits, the programs they use, and every keystroke they make on their computer. Most of these programs take random screenshots of user screens and allow you to see them in real time. Some even use the computer's camera to take photos that verify the employee is at their desk.
  
  
• Email monitoring: This allows you to view the emails your employees send and receive with their company email accounts. It is often available as a feature of employee monitoring software but can also be purchased as a stand-alone application (sometimes called "email server monitoring").
  
  
• Network monitoring: Instead of monitoring your employees, this is an IT process that checks your network to make sure all components (such as routers, servers and firewalls) are functioning properly, with the goal of eliminating network downtime.

The best employee monitoring software for small businesses helps you manage and enforce your acceptable use policy without requiring a lot of your time to install and maintain it. You need a solution that alerts you when your employees attempt to leak vital business information, access inappropriate content, or simply waste time while they are on the clock.

Here are the main aspects to pay attention to in your search.

Content Filtering and Blocking Features

Consider the different types of monitoring features the software offers. For example, how much do you want to control your employees' internet time? It is all right for them to surf the internet during breaks and lunches, or not at all? What websites do your employees need to access to do their jobs?

With some software, you can select times when the internet or certain sites are blocked or accessible. Most applications also let you create user groups, each with its own rules and permissions. Blocking disruptive sites and creating custom permissions for specific groups is one way you can use this type of business internet software to increase your employees' efficiency and productivity.

Time Tracking and Activity Monitoring

Many businesses use employee monitoring software to track employees' working hours. The software may include login/logout features so employees can record the time they spend working. Activity tracking is a popular feature that shows how active or idle an employee's keyboard and mouse are during their work hours.

Idle time isn't always a negative thing, though. For example, if an employee spends a lot of time reading or in meetings, they might have low keyboard and mouse activity. The best software records whether the employee's activity (or inactivity) is productive or unproductive. This gives you insight into where your employees excel and where they are distracted. This is a great feature for tracking and improving employee productivity.

Application, Website and Email Monitoring

Consider the specific areas of computer activity you want to track. The most comprehensive programs keep detailed logs of the websites your employees visit and the apps they use, along with their emails, online chats, created and downloaded files, print jobs, inserted devices, and even physical locations when they're on company devices.

You may not want to keep such detailed tabs on your employees. If you choose software with a full suite of features, you can usually customize exactly what it records (and in how much detail) as well as the exceptions.

Screenshots and Keystroke Logging

Depending on your reason for using employee monitoring software, you may want it to record employees' online searches and takes screenshots of their monitors. These can come in handy if you are sued by a disgruntled employee and need to back up your claims.

You may also want to consider software that records keystrokes; however, this feature could feel particularly invasive to employees, so not all monitoring software vendors offer it.

Reports and Notifications

Pay attention to the software's reports and notification features. It should provide regular reports (at intervals you choose) with easy-to-read statistics and visual breakdowns of employee habits. For more detailed information, though, you'll need extensive notification options, and the best software has both real-time monitoring and real-time alerts. For instance, you may choose to be alerted if an employee downloads a document online or tries to access a forbidden website. Since notifications alert you to specific occurrences and reports give you a staffwide overview, you'll get the most out of your software when you use both options together.

Archive Storage

Make sure your office web monitoring software automatically archives the data it captures. You never know when you may need to review an employee's internet history. [Related article: 10 Ways Employee Monitoring Software Can Benefit Your Remote and In-Office Teams]

Mobile Apps

In addition to dashboards you can access from any browser, the best employee monitoring software offers mobile apps that let you monitor your staff when you're away from the office. Some have both Android and iPhone apps, and others are platform-specific, so if this feature is important to you, verify that the app is compatible with the operating system you use.

Ease of Use and Support

Good monitoring software should be intuitive to use, with a visually appealing interface that displays all the options without being cluttered and overwhelming. You and the other admins should feel confident using the software, getting a good grasp of the monitoring options after a few minutes of clicking around.

In case you do run into issues, though, you want to work with a company that's easy to reach. You should be able to reach tech support by phone, email, live chat, or online ticket, though even some of the best companies only offer one or two of these support avenues. Live chat is typically the fastest way to connect with a representative. Most companies also have extensive self-help resources on their websites for your reference, such as how-to guides, video tutorials, and FAQs pages.

Some companies charge extra for ongoing upgrades and support after the first year. You can forgo this option, but you run the risk of operating outdated and possibly insecure software without help from the manufacturer.

While monitoring employees' computer and internet usage seems like an infringement of their privacy, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that it is legal for companies to monitor employees' actions while they are on the clock or using company equipment, including laptops, pagers, USB drives, and mobile devices. However, there have never been any regulations on the type of programs companies can use to monitor employees. This means you can use programs that monitor keystrokes and capture passwords; however, there is some ethical controversy around whether these features should be used.

While the federal government doesn't place restrictions on employee internet monitoring, some states require employers to notify their workers if they monitor online activity, including emails and keystrokes. You can disclose this within your use policy or employee handbook, address it in orientation for new employees, or simply send out email reminders.

Tip: Employees tend to have a higher expectation of privacy on their personal devices, making them riskier to monitor. If you want to monitor employees' cellphones and laptops, take extra precautions by creating an explicit bring-your-own-device policy for them to sign.

Employee monitoring software (and how employers use it) could also be impacted by the passage of new data privacy laws in the U.S. Provisions in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), for example, give individual employees the right to request that certain businesses disclose the personal information that has been collected about them. Businesses could also be required to notify individual employees when their personal information has been collected and how that information is being used. These provisions could extend to employee monitoring and require companies to revisit their policies.

If your business is subject to the CCPA or similar data privacy regulation, consider whether the employee data you want to collect serves a clear business purpose. Also determine how long you need to store that data and how you'll ensure its protection from data breaches. Failure to secure it in accordance with data privacy laws could result in fines and lawsuits against your business.

WHO SHOULD USE EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE?

Employee monitoring software is not limited to certain sizes and types of business. Nearly every employer can benefit from employee monitoring software, whether to accurately track work hours, manage and improve productivity, or secure their organization from cyberthreats. That being said, some industries tend to use employee monitoring more than others. For example, a DeskTrack study shows that freelancers take the cake in using monitoring software. Other businesses that often use it include IT companies, staffing agencies, financial organizations, consultants, law firms, accountants and architects. Most of these industries are highly regulated, and employee monitoring software can help them comply.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE?

Employee monitoring software can benefit your company in multiple ways, primarily regarding productivity, security, accuracy, and compliance.

• Managing employee productivity: Monitoring your employees' device usage can motivate them to use their time wisely. The best monitoring software allows you to designate specific apps and activities as productive or unproductive, giving you a clear look at what type of activities your employees engage in each day. You can also compare employees' behavior analytics with their total output to see where they excel and where they might need guidance to improve their productivity.
  
  
• Improving employees' well-being: While it may not sound like the most obvious result, employee monitoring software can actually help you manage employee wellness. For example, the time-tracking data can show you how many hours each employee works in a day. If you notice an employee is consistently working overtime, you can take preemptive measures against burnout. If an employee is consistently tardy or absent, this may mean they're already reaching burnout. Consider discussing these insights with your team and redistributing workloads to optimize your team's well-being.
  
  
• Ensuring pay accuracy: With tools to track employee activity (such as keystroke logging and webcam recording), you can make sure your team is actively working at their computers when they say they are. This helps you comply with labor laws and pay your employees accurately for the time they work. Many monitoring solutions also allow for project tracking, which improves accuracy in billing or paying out for specific projects.
  
  
• Maintaining company security: Employee monitoring software can help protect your business and your network. Features like website tracking, content filters and screen capture help you ensure your team is working on the proper websites and applications, instead of viewing malicious websites or performing risky activities. The software can monitor emails, USB insertions and print jobs for leaks of confidential data. You can also use network monitoring to track the functionality of all your network components and reduce downtime.
  
  
• Securing legal protection: You may be glad you tracked and archived employee activity if you need proof of a disgruntled former employee's poor behavior. Instead of basing your claims on "he said, she said," you can use this data as evidence in the unfortunate event of litigation.

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE?

Although there are many benefits to using employee monitoring software, you should also note some potential drawbacks.

• Reduced employee morale and trust: You'll need to walk a fine line when implementing the software. Employees may view it as a lack of trust in them, which could breed resentment and lower company morale. No one likes being watched, and employee monitoring software could feel like a loss of privacy. To reduce employee turnover or resentment, explain your reasons for using the software and how it can benefit everyone in the company.
  
  
• Complex data comprehension: Another potential drawback is the time it can take to condense and comprehend the data the software compiles. This software offers a plethora of information that can help you improve your business's security and streamline your processes, but it may take a little extra work to decipher the most important data points. To mitigate this disadvantage, look for monitoring software that breaks data down into digestible reports and graphs.
  
  
• Access to sensitive information: If you are implementing employee monitoring software for the first time, you should also be aware of the employee privacy and security risks. It may seem counterintuitive, since this software is meant to protect your business network, but you're likely to eventually stumble across private employee data, like health records or bank account information. To reduce this risk, make it clear to employees what they should and should not access on company devices. 

WHAT IS SILENT MODE?

You can run employee monitoring software in either silent or transparent mode. Silent mode, also known as "hidden" or "stealth" mode, means employees aren't aware they are being monitored. Transparent monitoring, also referred to as "visible" or "revealed" mode, is when your employees can see the surveillance program on their computers. While some platforms only permit one mode or the other, most let you choose which mode to deploy.

IS CLOUD OR ON-PREMISES EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE BETTER?

The best type of hosting depends on your business, and most of the top software applications offer both options. With an on-premises solution, you'll host the software and the data it collects on your server – which means you can keep your data as long as you want. But an on-premises solution requires more IT knowledge and generally takes longer to set up.

Cloud-based software is easier to manage and quicker to set up than on-premises deployment, and you don't need a server to store all your data. But you must trust the vendor to maintain and protect your data. 

IS EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE SECURE?

For the most part, yes. Employee tracking software is designed to be installed on multiple computers, including an administrative station. For this type of program to work, you must first turn off your firewall. You can turn it back on once the installation is complete. This punctures a hole in your security system for a short time, leaving your network vulnerable to viruses, Trojans, spyware and other threats.

A word of caution: Some employee surveillance programs look legitimate but are really viruses in disguise. While this software may give you keylogging and password-capturing capabilities, it collects this information behind the scenes to sell or use to breach your company's security measures. We did extensive research to ensure the legitimacy of each program we reviewed. However, since most of these programs work around your firewall, it is still possible for other threats to pass through undetected. 

HOW COMMON IS EMPLOYEE MONITORING?

Employee monitoring is more common than you might think – and gaining in popularity with each passing year. A recent study by Digital.com found that 60% of employers with remote workers use employee monitoring software, and another 17% are considering it. Most employers say their primary reason for using the software is wanting to understand how their employees spend their time.

CAN I USE AN EMPLOYEE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR MY REMOTE TEAM?

If your business owns the computers your employees use, yes, you can install employee monitoring software on them. You can even run monitoring on silent mode. But if your remote worker is using their personal computer for work, they're not likely to consent to having tracking software installed on it. One solution might be to use a transparent monitoring app, like Hubstaff, that only tracks usage when the employee is clocked in to work.

WILL MY EMPLOYEES KNOW THEY ARE BEING MONITORED?

This depends on the software you use and the mode you deploy. For example, you can use employee monitoring software in stealth mode, which does not let your employees know they are being monitored – or in transparent mode, which allows employees to see the surveillance software on their devices. Some platforms can even send employees their own activity reports, giving them a clear look at the information you are tracking.

It is up to you whether to inform your employees that they are being surveilled or not. No current federal laws require you to notify staff they are being monitored, although some states have their own limitations and requirements.

HOW DO I GET MY TEAM ON BOARD WITH EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE?

If an employee is using a company device to perform their work responsibilities, there should be practically no expectation of privacy on said device. It is within your legal rights to install monitoring software to track their performance and productivity. However, just because it is legal doesn't mean your team will be supportive of it.

Start with open communication. Workers are more likely to be receptive if they understand the reasoning. Instead of secretly installing tracking software or letting your employees think you don't trust them, have a transparent discussion with your team to explain how the software can benefit your company. Focus on areas such as business security, employee development and overall productivity.