11 Best Tools to Monitor Remote Employees

These tools may assist managers in monitoring workers who have been assigned to work from home on a temporary or long-term basis. Therefore we’ve put together this list.

To track and analyze workers’ behavior and productivity on a computer, Remote Employee Monitoring Software is used. Remote workers need this software since traditional monitoring solutions don’t function when supervisors, employees, or freelancers are apart in terms of their locations. Because of this, project management and forecasting are hampered in quality and accuracy.

It’s becoming more and more common to use software and cloud-based services to manage and control remote operations. As a result, the popularity of the services mentioned above has surged by 80% in the United States alone, according to Gartner data. And it’s the same in many other nations throughout the world. Companies are increasingly concerned about successfully managing their workforces for several reasons, including an increasing number of remote workers and a growing role for freelancers.

Types of Employee Tracking Software

There are many types of software for remote work monitoring:

Time-trackers

To keep track of the time spent by employees, time monitoring applications have been developed. A built-in timer may either be manually started and stopped, or it can be automatically. Retroactively, they may also add or modify time.

It is possible to classify and arrange jobs inside the platform, and administrators may monitor trends at a high level. For example, a high-level picture of how much time an employee spends in different applications or completing various tasks is possible with these employee monitoring software products.

It’s not clear how much time is spent in each area by managers.

Activity trackers

You can get a better sense of how your workers are spending their time by using activity monitors.

For example, they may snap frequent images of your employee’s screen or monitor which websites and applications they access. This area includes email tracking.

Task management software

High-level projects and low-level activities may be organized with the aid of project management software. Task tracking, staff communication, and other aspects of practical project completion are standard in these applications.

Almost all of the technologies we’ll look at in the following part, which deals with work-from-home monitoring, aim to combine these aspects.

Many project management software, for example, provide built-in time-tracking capabilities. Since many of the tools mentioned below might fit into numerous categories, I’ve included them in their dominating category below for organizational reasons so that you can discover the proper tool for your specific needs.

Benefits of Keeping Track of Remote Workers

Please allow me to briefly review the primary advantages of using an employee monitoring tool for your remote workforce before presenting you with the best options to track your staff.

A sound personnel monitoring system provides the following advantages:

• First, your staff will be held responsible for the work they produce daily. This guarantees that they are sufficiently driven to generate outcomes consistently.
• When using a solid time tracking application, freelancers and contractors may provide tangible documentation of their time on projects to customers when charging them.
• Because there are records of the time spent on each activity, customers know the specific remote labor they are invoiced.
• It reduces the requirement for physical office space since your workers may work from home and yet be productive.
• When employing remote employees, you’ll have fewer concerns since the tool will verify that they’re dedicated to your firm from the start.
• An excellent remote employee monitoring software decreases the amount of time spent on time tracking and task management since the tool takes care of these tasks for you, saving you valuable time.

Having established the reasons for using remote employee monitoring software, let’s look at some of the best alternatives available:

Best Remote Monitoring Tools

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a cloud-based tool that allows you to keep track of freelancers and remote employees. In addition to comprehensive monitoring and time tracking features, it is an effective system. Several dozen more services are integrated into the application, including Basecamp, Trello, Github, Asana, and PayPal. Thus, it is appropriate for any company largely or entirely made up of remote employees who cooperate with freelancers and startups.

Hubstaff is quite similar in functionality to Time Doctor, except that it is a little more costly. In addition, it does not have such capabilities as online monitoring of displays and video recording of monitors, which are essential for absolute control.

Key features;

• Creating reports on the number of time employees spend working.
• Tracking the movement of the mouse and keyboard.
• At specific periods, screenshots of workers’ displays are saved.
• Using the built-in tool to find freelancers is a good idea.
• Incorporating an hourly wage rate into the equation.
• Employees are being tracked using GPS technology.

Pros

• There is a free version available.
• It is simple to use.
• Suitable for workers who work from home.
• The app works across several platforms.

Cons

• The free edition features are severely restricted (offers only time tracking, activity. Levels, limited screenshots, and limited payments).
• Plans for large corporations are too costly to develop.

Pricing

ActivTrak

In addition to monitoring employee activity, recording working hours, and automatically measuring workplace productivity and general level of discipline, ActivTrak is yet another popular cloud service developed for these purposes. The toolbox has undergone extensive development. Among its many capabilities, the application is capable of detecting and preventing insider threats. In addition, the service is continually evolving and improving its capabilities with new stuff.

Key features;

• Every 5 seconds, a screenshot is taken.
• The monitors were video recorded for further review.
• Notifications are sent out automatically when infractions are committed.
• A notification will be sent if a screenshot is taken using the provided settings.
• This report contains information on working hours.
• Employees’ corporate email is being monitored.
• Apps and websites that are prohibited from being accessed are blocked.

Pros

• Features that are specifically intended to keep track of a remote workforce
• There is a free plan available.
• A dependable organization with excellent reviews.

Cons

• The free plan has several limitations (you can track only three users).
• Some features may need you to pay an additional fee.

Kickidler

Kickidler is a complete system for monitoring and regulating workers and keeping track of their working time. Aside from having outstanding features and an intuitive UI, it is also straightforward to use. Most crucially, the system is safeguarded against any possible fraud perpetrated by remote personnel. This well-balanced software may be implemented in businesses of any size, regardless of the number of workers. Kickidler was one of the top ten most popular employee monitoring software programs in the globe in 2020. In May of that year, it was named the second most popular software program with the fastest growth in popularity.

Kickidler may be used for various tasks, including monitoring remote workers’ working hours and complete control over distant employees, including any activities they do on their PCs. In addition, the program’s screen video recording capability and its user-friendly display of PC activity history ensure that workers are unable to deceive the software, which is a highly crucial component when dealing with employees in the home office setting.

Key features;

• Monitoring remote machines online and providing screenshots is possible.
• Tracking working hours entails noting the start and conclusion of each workday and breaks and idle time.
• Controlling employee efficiency entails examining the tasks that they completed during the day.
• Tracking launched applications and visited websites, with the option of automatically filtering out those that were not used.
• Employee monitors are being video recorded regularly.
• Keeping track of every keystroke made during the day.
• Providing remote access to workers’ computers.
• Employees are receiving automated reminders when they violate company policies at their place of employment.

Pros

• Offering solutions that are specially built for remote employee monitoring; offering a lifetime membership option; detecting wasted time; providing a free trial;

Cons

• The pricing structures seem to be very convoluted.

Time Doctor

Time Doctor is one of the most powerful time monitoring technologies available in the year 2021, according to the company. So it’s no wonder that Firms use time Doctor like Apple, Ericsson, and PwC and that it’s one of the finest solutions available for you and your team.

Time Doctor is the most convenient approach to ensure that your staff remains productive. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the characteristics that distinguish Time Doctor from the competition.

Key features;

• Time tracking made simple. Almost all remote work technologies have a significant drawback in that they are challenging to use and understand. They need a considerable amount of manual input, which may be a major turnoff for many workers.
• The program automatically alerts employees whenever they visit non-productive websites, asking them whether they are still working. This little prod is generally sufficient to entice them away from their social media accounts and back to their desks.
• The inactivity tracker incorporated into Time Doctor guarantees that your employees are actively working throughout their working hours.
• Time Doctor provides you with a plethora of informative data to help you make sense of your time monitoring process.
• The attendance report provides you with a list of those who were missing over the week, as well as their reasons for being away. It’s a straightforward method of keeping track of who has been absent from work lately.
• The lousy time usage report is a recurring report that displays any distracting websites or applications that an employee visited on a given day while on the clock.
• When the timer is turned off, the software instantly ceases to monitor the workers.
• To provide more functionality, Time Doctor may interact with various technologies such as GitHub, Asana, and Zapier.

Pros

• Time monitoring features that are both powerful and automatic.
• Excellent website monitoring tools, including an inactivity tracker that is incorporated.
• Provides detailed reports to keep track of your employees and what they’re up to in their spare time.
• Strict privacy rules are in place to protect the information of your workers.
• There are several valuable integrations.

Cons

• The browser extension has several limitations. Therefore it’s recommended to use the desktop application instead.
• Rather than freelancers and solopreneurs, the technology may be better appropriate for businesses.

Toggl

Toggl is a fantastic virtual program for monitoring whether or not remote workers are functioning. Moreover, it is an efficient tool for easy job management and time monitoring since it has features and programs tailored to small enterprises and entrepreneurs.

Key features;

• Browser plugin with extensive time tracking capabilities across hundreds of different programs.
• Advanced reporting capabilities to assist you in analyzing your time spent. A report’s PDF, XLS, or CSV file may be created and saved for further reference.
• Virtual timesheet management that is automated, allowing for simple access to comprehensive information.
• Keyboard tracking may be used to keep track of your workers’ activities.
• There are approximately 100 different tools that Toggl may link with, which span a wide variety of sectors. It may be used in conjunction with a to-do list tool such as Todoist and a project management program such as Asana without difficulty.
• Toggl has a Zapier connector that allows you to automate processes and combine them with many other applications.

Pros

• An easy-to-use, intuitive user interface makes for a quick and painless onboarding procedure.
• Excellent client service.
• Supports automatic time tracking for a large number of tools.

Cons

• Even though it can link with Zapier, the synchronization between tools might be sluggish.
• It does not show you the websites where your employees have been spending their time. Its ability to control distractions is severely limited as a result.
• The beginner plan is very restricted; to use all of the features, you’ll need to upgrade to one of their more costly plans.

RescueTime

In contrast to traditional remote control services, RescueTime is intended to increase the productivity of remote employees rather than merely control them. It is simple to integrate and very user-friendly, and it delivers reports on productivity on an automatic basis. The application enables managers to understand better how much and precisely how efficiently their workers work and identify the factors that are preventing them from being more efficient. The program is compatible with all major operating systems, including mobile and desktop platforms. Integrates with GitHub, Slack, and more than 50 more services, among other things.

Key features;

• It keeps track of the amount of time you spend on a specific tool or website during working hours.
• Websites that are deemed distracting may be blocked. You can personalize this list of non-productive websites.
• Allows you to select your productivity objectives and alerts you if you spend excessive time on a particular job.
• Provides you with precise information on employee time utilization to assist you in increasing staff productivity levels.
• RescueTime can interact with a plethora of different technologies available on the market at any given time.
• Integrates with effective project management systems and team communication applications such as GitHub and Slack, to name a few examples. With the Zapier connection, you’ll be able to link it to an additional 50 tools.

Pros

• The software is straightforward to use.
• The goal-setting and alarm-setting features may assist you in reaching your productivity objectives.
• Weekly email updates regarding the activities of your staff may assist you in keeping track of their overall productivity.
• It is simple to ban distracting websites.

Cons

• Clients will have difficulty obtaining correct records since they will not distinguish between billable and non-billable hours.
• It cannot monitor time spent on projects and tasks — it can only measure time spent on a specific tool or website and not on any other.
• There are no billing capabilities.
• When you are not connected to the internet, RescueTime will not function.

Hours

Hours is a time tracking app that is exceptionally easy to use, and it records the working hours of remote workers. Because it just gives the most fundamental tools, you’ll be up and running in no time at all. As a result, the application is appropriate for both business and individual usage. This method is most often used by supervisors who wish to reduce control and receive just the most basic information about their workers, such as the number of hours.

Key features;

• A simple virtual timer can be used to track the amount of time you spend on various tasks.
• Notifications are sent when the timer is started or stopped, ensuring that you do not accidentally record time.
• The Mac web app can sync your data across your mobile devices and Apple Watch, allowing you to operate more flexibly.
• Keeping track of the amount of time spent on various tasks.
• An automated notification system.
• Employee working hours are reported in CSV or PDF format.

Pros

• The UI is uncluttered and straightforward.
• It supports a graphical representation of your time utilization to make it simpler to grasp your progress.
• Work flexibility is made possible by powerful synchronizing features.

Cons

• There are no integrations.
• Only available for iOS and macOS devices at this time.
• It is not capable of handling higher-order time-tracking activities.
• Teams and the most sophisticated company procedures are not well suited for this product.

Timely

Timely is a task planner and staff monitoring software. Timely is a kind of hybrid that combines the best of both worlds. Initially, the application was created to keep track of freelancers and teams working on a specific project. Instead, its engineers have designed software that is simple to comprehend and simple to integrate, allowing supervisors to properly monitor the quality of workers’ performance on specific tasks and the productivity of project members. Although the system is appropriate for small businesses and startups, watching a significant number of remote workers would be difficult using Timely.

Key features;

Employees’ time spent on tasks may be tracked in real-time by using an automated system.
Keeping track of working hours.
Unproductive activities, idle time, and other non-billable times are being watched for.
Task scheduler that comes pre-installed.
Interoperability with intra-team communication and project management software is supported.

Pros

• Time-tracking features that are both powerful and automatic.
• The ability to gather data across online and mobile devices, as well as the ability to sync data across many platforms, allows for more flexible work routines.
• Capabilities for sophisticated reporting are excellent.

Cons

• It is too pricey.
• The majority of the features are only available in their premium versions.
• At first glance, the dashboard may seem to be challenging to navigate.

Harvest

Harvest is an employee monitoring system developed for businesses that operate with a significant number of customers simultaneously. It offers invoicing services, links with payment processing systems, records the amount of time an employee spends on a job, and performs various other business duties. Overall, it is a very effective business product.

Key features;

• Keep track of how much time you spend working both online and offline.
• Keep track of bills.
• Integration with payment processors PayPal and Stripe.
• System for internal communication among employees.
• Productivity and working hours are tracked and reported on.
• Internal violations are under control.
• To name a few, the harvest may be integrated with a wide range of products, including communication software, project management software, and video conferencing software. In addition, you can link it with over 1000 other tools thanks to the Zapier integration!

Pros

• There is an almost limitless number of integrations.
• Integrated billing and invoicing capabilities at the enterprise level.
• The UI has been simplified to make the onboarding process simpler.

Cons

• It is not possible to collect screenshots to follow the development of a project.
• Reports may be challenging to understand and deal with.
• It’s a little on the pricey side.

Everhour

Employees in the office and from distant locations may be monitored, and their working hours can be tracked using Everhour, a web application (available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari). It provides a plethora of data gathering options, connects with third-party systems (such as Asana, Basecamp, Trello, and others), and enables supervisors and workers to keep track of their time on specific projects.

Key features;

• Timer with a digital display.
• The status of the project is shown on the progress screen.
• Logs of tasks.
• Productivity reports that are automatically updated.
• Invoicing.
• Trying to figure out how long it will take to accomplish a job is difficult.
• Keeping track of one’s working hours.

Pros

• Invoicing efficient features, as well as a client portal that allows clients to check time data.
• Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browser extensions are pretty powerful.
• With the help of the live dashboard, you can improve team management in your organization.

Cons

• Software for managing distractions cannot be utilized with this product.

Timeneye

Timeneye is a straightforward software for any solopreneur or small company searching for smooth, automatic monitoring capabilities in one place.

Key features;

• Maintaining track of your productivity is made easier with automatic time tracking.
• The calendar view makes it simple to keep track of the progress of your project.
• It is possible to monitor billable and non-billable hours separately to simplify classification.
• Detailed information on the time spent by each team member to help you keep track of your team’s productivity.
• Timeneye can link with a wide variety of various tools and applications for your organization, such as Asana, Google Calendar, and Basecamp, among others.

Pros

• An easy-to-use UI makes for a quick and painless onboarding experience.
• With the calendar view, it is simple to keep track of all of your tasks.
• Time monitoring elements that are effective.

Cons

• It is not possible to monitor time when offline.
• There are no billing capabilities.
• Teams may incur additional costs as a result of this.

Final Thoughts

It does not need to be challenging to keep track of your remote workers.

With the correct employee website monitoring technology, you can quickly keep track of what your employees are up to and ensure that they are productive at all times.