‘Most like tools that help them be more efficient and productive while simultaneously demonstrating their value to their employers’
More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of employees in the U.S. are currently working from home at least part of the time, up from 61 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
And 90 per cent are open to their employer having visibility into their daily productivity, according to a survey by Prodoscore, an employee productivity and visibility software provider.
Among those who support the visibility, 32 per cent say it makes them aware of how productive they are, 19 per cent say it helps them manage their time and 16 per cent say it makes them more efficient, found the survey of 1,000 U.S.-based workers.
Fifty per cent of workers say they would structure their day differently if they knew their manager had visibility into their workday: 37 per cent say they would spend less time on non-work-related tasks, 31 per cent would spend more time using business applications related to their job and 25 per cent would take fewer breaks.
More than three in 10 (32 per cent) also say that a “visibility software that helps identify ways to be more efficient” would be most beneficial to their productivity at work, followed by collaboration tools (25 per cent) and video conferencing software (21 per cent).
Tool for recognition
Also, 47 per cent of employees say they have been frustrated that their efforts have not been recognized, and being visible to their employer can address this issue. When asked how they would feel about a tool that allows their daily contributions to be recognized versus only the end result, 80 per cent responded positively for either the recognition-identifying tool alone or a combination of a tool and the end result.
“No employee likes spyware but, as the results show, most do like tools that help them be more efficient and productive while simultaneously demonstrating their value to their employers,” says Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated, the options for employee monitoring are broadening – but employers must proceed cautiously.
A majority (85 per cent) of Canadian office workers have relied on technology more than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still much left to be desired, according to a separate survey published in June.
