Time tracking software is a great invention that has greatly eased the life of thousands of employers and their employees (yes, you got it right). However, along with numerous admirers, there are lots of people who don’t accept the idea of their work time being tracked and strongly oppose it. Often, this is the result of lack of information about this type of tools.
In this post, we shall debunk the most popular misconceptions about the time tracking services and describe what they actually do.
What really is a time tracker?
Opposite to the popular belief that this is a tool designed solely for employers to be able to keep a close eye on each move of their staff members, it is not so.
A time tracker is a software installed on a computer and collecting data about all the activity going on. To be more precise, typically you can learn the following from the time tracking software:
- overall hours worked
- when the work was started and finished
- when and how many breaks were taken, for how long and for what reason
- what websites and software were used
Based on this information and an extensive database of different resources categorized as productive/unproductive, the service is capable of estimating what is employee work productivity.
This data is usually formed into easy to understand reports that can be emailed to the responsible employees. Thanks to the function of configuring different access levels, a company head has an opportunity to delegate the responsibility of employee time monitoring. Similarly, the software allows flexible settings for different categories of employees. For instance, social networks can be productive for SMM specialist and unproductive for an accountant.
Time tracking software as the way to monitor how you do your work?
For many employees, the word “monitoring” has a negative connotation. When it goes about their work being monitored, they feel someone is constantly watching and documenting their work methods and is eventually going to criticise even the smallest mistakes. In fact, it would be a waste of time and no one implements time trackers for finding faults.
On the other hand, these services are very helpful in spotting and fixing any glitches within the workload. They show employees who have their hands full and those who are bored because of the insufficient amount of tasks assigned. Redistributing the tasks between the two categories not only optimizes workload, but also helps create healthier atmosphere in the office.
Time tracker as the means of spying on you?
In a majority of cases, employees are very hostile to the time trackers because they confuse them with the spy software. They fear their privacy being intruded and personal details stolen. In fact, no legal time tracking tools gather sensitive information. Moreover, spy software is always invisible for the user, whereas time trackers are working explicitly. Many such tools also have the option of pausing tracking, which leaves room for privacy.
However, some employee fears are quite real – this software will show how much of the work time they’re spending on non-work related activities and websites. It also sheds light on the most common “time eaters” and distractions. However. it is not done for finding “the guilty” and punishing them. On the contrary, it is an effective way of optimizing time management and boosting productivity. Some employees may not even realize where their time goes and why they tend to fail at meeting the deadlines and here the time tracker will be very helpful.
Time tracking software – just one more chore?
Those unfamiliar with this tool, may think it similar to the traditional timesheets, which require employees to distract from their work every now and then to write down their current activity.
In fact, time trackers are totally opposite, as they don’t require any extra actions and are totally automated. They launch when the computer starts and switch off along with it. This not only saves precious time, but also lets completely focus on performing your task. Plus, it excludes errors that may occur if you forget to timely enter an activity into a timesheet and then need to invent it or adjust timing to make it look good to the employer.
Final remarks
Are you now convinced that time tracking software is actually a very useful tool for your company? The best way is to give it a good test drive and then make your own conclusion. With Yaware.TimeTracker, it is simple, free and no risk at all. All you need is to fill in a short registration form with the most basic data and no credit card number required. It lets you use the software for 14 days at no cost and with no limits.
