Workpuls Teramind ActivTrak Hubstaff DeskTime Time Doctor RescueTime Kickidler Veriato Work Examiner
OVERVIEW
Price $6/user/month $6/user/month $7.20/user/month $7/user/month $7/user/month $9.99/user/month $6/user/month $9.99/user/month $150/licence/year $60/licence (lifetime)
Free trial 7 days 7 days No 14 days 14 days 14 days 30 days 7 days Yes 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Very easy Easy Easy Very easy Very easy Very easy Very difficult Easy
TRACKING METHODS
Unlimited (tracker working 24/7)
Fixed (defined working hours)
Automatic (when computer is connected to a specified network)
Manual (start/stop)
Project based (track time only on projects)
GENERAL MONITORING FEATURES
Stealth mode
App and website usage
Real-time monitoring
Offline time tracking
Attendance
Activity levels
Keylogger
Geolocation
Remote desktop control
Website/activity blocking
SCREENSHOTS AND RECORDING
Screenshots
Screenshots on demand
Screen recording
PRODUCTIVITY FEATURES
Productivity trends
Websites and apps labeling
Category labeling
Productivity alerts
ADVANCED SECURITY FEATURES
User behavior analytics
Data loss prevention
Advanced file and web monitoring
REPORTING
Productivity reports
Team reports
Timelines
Email reports
Access management
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app
Mobile app iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android Android
Browser extension Chrome Chrome Chrome
Other Citrix, VMware Chrome OS
OTHER
Support Phone, email, online Phone, email, online Phone, email, online Email, online Phone, email, online, in-person Online Phone, email, online Email, online, Viber, Whatsapp Phone, email, online, support ticket Phone, email, online
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations comming soon
API
Deployment cloud, on-premise cloud, on-premise, AWS, Azure cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud on-premise cloud, on-premise on-premise
Kronos Humanity Timeclockplus Tsheets Wheniwork Deputy Replicon Jibble EbilityTimeTracker OnTheClock BeeBole
OVERVIEW
Price(per month)Available upon requestFrom $2 per userAvailable upon requestFrom $6.40 per user+$16Free for up to 75 usersFrom $2.50 per userBasic plan:$30 for 5 users+$5 per additional userFrom $1.50 per employeeFrom $4 per user+$8From $2.20 per user$5.99 per user per month
Free trial30 days14 daysYes14 days14 days14 days30 days30 days,no credit card required
Ease of useDifficultEasyDifficultVery easyEasyEasyDifficultVery easyEasyEasyEasy
FEATURES
Timecard management
Scheduling
Shift Trading
Timesheets
Break time management
Real-time tracking
PTO Management
Payroll
Invoicing
Client billing
GPS tracking
Clock out reminders
Alerts
Manual time
PUNCH-IN METHODS
Web app
Mobile app
Time clock device
Time clock kiosk
Facial recognition
Fingerprint scanning
Geofencing
Group punch-in
REPORTING
Visual reports
Email reports
Time rounding
MANAGEMENT
Permissions
Manager approvals
Add time for others
Integrations
PLATFORMS
Web
Android app
iOS app
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app
OTHER
SupportPhone and onlinePhone and onlinePhone,chat and onlinePhone and chatEmail and onlineChat and phonePhone,email,chat and onlinePhone and onlinePhone,email,chat and onlinePhone and onlineOnline chat and video support in English,French,and Spanish
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Community forum
API
Workpuls Hubstaff Toggl TimeDoctor Harvest TimeCamp Timely Everhour Tick TMetric
OVERVIEW
Price (per month) $6 per user $5.83 per user $9 per user $9.99 per user $10.80 per user $5.25 per user $99 for 5 users $7 per user $19 for 10 projects $5 per user
Free trial 7 days 14 days 30 days 14 days 30 days Yes 14 days 14 days 30 days 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Difficult Very easy Easy Very easy Easy Difficult Very easy Difficult
TIME TRACKING METHODS
Manual
Start/stop buttons
Automatic time mapping
IN-DEPTH TASK AND PROJECT ANALYSIS
Screenshots
App and website usage
Activity levels coming soon
Real-time tracking
TASK AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project adding
Project templates
Project status
Task assignment
Task priorities
Budgeting coming soon
Mark billable/non-billable hours
Payroll calculation
Invoicing
ALERTS
Idle time reminders
Deadline alerts coming soon
Budget alerts coming soon
REPORTING
Client login
Productivity analysis
Email reports coming soon
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app coming soon
iOS app Beta
Android app
Browser extension Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge
OTHER
Support Phone and online Email and online Email and online Online Online, email and phone Email, online and support ticket Email and chat Email and chat Email Chat
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations coming soon
API
On-premise hosting

More and more managerial decisions, it seems, are beginning to revolve around increasing employees’ productivity these days. Different ways to do it have been multiplying as well, ranging from office plan conceptualisation to the use of employee time tracker software, all with varying degrees of success

But what are we exactly after? And why do we want it so badly?


Hopefully, after a little bit of discussion, we’ll be able to give precise answers to these questions, which might help us in discovering new creative ways to increase productivity as well as guide us in how to best make use of productivity monitoring tools such as employee time tracker software.


What Kind of Productivity Do We Want?


Being productive encompasses more than one single aspect of work. Therefore, sometimes what you’re trying to improve isn’t really what you’re ultimately after.


Take the speed of work for example. This might be one of the ways in which you can attempt to define productivity - as the rate of finishing tasks. Efficiency is a big part of it but focusing only on that can get you some unexpected side effects, like sloppiness, skipping steps in business processes and overall degradation of the quality of work.


What about working for longer stretches of time? That seems like another picture we have in mind when we think about a productive employee. But this, too, is a one-dimensional view which, if pursued in isolation and with disregard to other aspects, can quickly lead to burnout in employees.


So what is the productivity that we want? How do we define it?


The best definition of productivity in the workplace is the one that takes into account all aspects of producing highly satisfactory work output. This means having better focus, genuine motivation to do well, less chance of being distracted, efficiency that comes with all these and, of course, maintaining the same quality of work. Basically, it means doing more work while the quality stays the same or, preferably, progressively gets higher.


The fact that this notion is so complex is the reason why boosting, or just monitoring productivity in the workplace is so difficult.


The point, however, isn’t to force it and to make employees hustle all the time, but to create such an environment that would prompt effortless and sustainable productivity.


How Does a Company Benefit from Increased Productivity?


Now that productivity is defined in such precise and clear terms, the picture of the kind of benefits it can bring to the company starts to emerge.


First of all, just the sheer fact that if your team is more productive, it means they’ll be able to do more work in the same amount of time, is sure to bring your company some additional profit. It’s simple - more projects done means more money. And with highly productive workforce, you won’t have to take on additional staff to achieve this outcome.


Secondly, remember when we mentioned that productivity should ideally be effortless and natural? If you manage to accomplish this, you’ll get a workforce that’s able to meet all the deadlines without being stressed out. And the fact that your employees aren’t under this additional pressure means they won’t burn out quickly and leave your company. So higher employee retention rate is another perk you get.


Finally, high productivity is sure to result in more goals achieved, which acts like a fuel to employees’ job satisfaction and their motivation. This positive attitude is in turn conducive to more productivity and the circle goes round and round, beautifully sustainable.


You just have to go about dealing with it the right way.


How to Go About Improving Productivity?


There are so many different tips and ways on how to increase productivity that we would probably need a book to present them all instead of this short article. So we’ll take a different route - we’ll introduce you to how you can use employee time tracker software as a tool for productivity monitoring and ultimately improvement of it.


As the saying goes, if you can measure it, you can improve it. And this is what employee time tracker software will do for you. If can provide the time and efficiency perspective of measuring productivity by tracking how long employees spend on productive tasks versus how much time they spend on distractions and breaks.


This data from productivity monitoring software is an excellent basis for your decisions that are aimed at boosting the efficiency of your team. Combine it with quality control and you’ve got yourself a way to track productivity in all its aspects, as well as guidelines on how you can improve it within your specific workplace.


And that’s where the real adventure begins.


Conclusion


High employee productivity is what many managers are after. But in order to get all the benefits that come with it, you need to have a clear picture of what you’re looking for. With this in mind, your efforts will be much more informed and you can enjoy having more projects done, higher profits and a happier workforce.

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Productivity and Efficiency Improvements

Improving Productivity: Why are We Even Trying?

Written by
Kristina Valjarevic
Published on
September 6, 2019

More and more managerial decisions, it seems, are beginning to revolve around increasing employees’ productivity these days. Different ways to do it have been multiplying as well, ranging from office plan conceptualisation to the use of employee time tracker software, all with varying degrees of success

But what are we exactly after? And why do we want it so badly?


Hopefully, after a little bit of discussion, we’ll be able to give precise answers to these questions, which might help us in discovering new creative ways to increase productivity as well as guide us in how to best make use of productivity monitoring tools such as employee time tracker software.


What Kind of Productivity Do We Want?


Being productive encompasses more than one single aspect of work. Therefore, sometimes what you’re trying to improve isn’t really what you’re ultimately after.


Take the speed of work for example. This might be one of the ways in which you can attempt to define productivity - as the rate of finishing tasks. Efficiency is a big part of it but focusing only on that can get you some unexpected side effects, like sloppiness, skipping steps in business processes and overall degradation of the quality of work.


What about working for longer stretches of time? That seems like another picture we have in mind when we think about a productive employee. But this, too, is a one-dimensional view which, if pursued in isolation and with disregard to other aspects, can quickly lead to burnout in employees.


So what is the productivity that we want? How do we define it?


The best definition of productivity in the workplace is the one that takes into account all aspects of producing highly satisfactory work output. This means having better focus, genuine motivation to do well, less chance of being distracted, efficiency that comes with all these and, of course, maintaining the same quality of work. Basically, it means doing more work while the quality stays the same or, preferably, progressively gets higher.


The fact that this notion is so complex is the reason why boosting, or just monitoring productivity in the workplace is so difficult.


The point, however, isn’t to force it and to make employees hustle all the time, but to create such an environment that would prompt effortless and sustainable productivity.


How Does a Company Benefit from Increased Productivity?


Now that productivity is defined in such precise and clear terms, the picture of the kind of benefits it can bring to the company starts to emerge.


First of all, just the sheer fact that if your team is more productive, it means they’ll be able to do more work in the same amount of time, is sure to bring your company some additional profit. It’s simple - more projects done means more money. And with highly productive workforce, you won’t have to take on additional staff to achieve this outcome.


Secondly, remember when we mentioned that productivity should ideally be effortless and natural? If you manage to accomplish this, you’ll get a workforce that’s able to meet all the deadlines without being stressed out. And the fact that your employees aren’t under this additional pressure means they won’t burn out quickly and leave your company. So higher employee retention rate is another perk you get.


Finally, high productivity is sure to result in more goals achieved, which acts like a fuel to employees’ job satisfaction and their motivation. This positive attitude is in turn conducive to more productivity and the circle goes round and round, beautifully sustainable.


You just have to go about dealing with it the right way.


How to Go About Improving Productivity?


There are so many different tips and ways on how to increase productivity that we would probably need a book to present them all instead of this short article. So we’ll take a different route - we’ll introduce you to how you can use employee time tracker software as a tool for productivity monitoring and ultimately improvement of it.


As the saying goes, if you can measure it, you can improve it. And this is what employee time tracker software will do for you. If can provide the time and efficiency perspective of measuring productivity by tracking how long employees spend on productive tasks versus how much time they spend on distractions and breaks.


This data from productivity monitoring software is an excellent basis for your decisions that are aimed at boosting the efficiency of your team. Combine it with quality control and you’ve got yourself a way to track productivity in all its aspects, as well as guidelines on how you can improve it within your specific workplace.


And that’s where the real adventure begins.


Conclusion


High employee productivity is what many managers are after. But in order to get all the benefits that come with it, you need to have a clear picture of what you’re looking for. With this in mind, your efforts will be much more informed and you can enjoy having more projects done, higher profits and a happier workforce.