Employee Monitoring Software

briansalomon · 01-03-2018 -- 08:29:51

Most of the labs I've worked in have had at least one team member who will not pull their weight. There are usually other people who will step up and take up the slack but it affects morale and it definitely harms every employee at that company.

Does anyone have experience with employee monitoring software?

Any insight or thoughts on implementing this pro or con?

PurelyNonsense · 01-03-2018 -- 09:00:20

There are IT solutions to monitor the web pages they visit and how often. There are some pros and cons to that in my opinion. If you implement the software, there has to be a written document (employee manual for example) that should state what an employee can and cannot do on the computer. Great so far, but now comes an unintended side affect. The other employees must also be under that umbrella. If not, the employee can say that he was unfairly targeted. Here is an example I know of.

Target employee spends a lot of time on google, facebook, twitter, etc. So the company implements a change in policy stating that use of company computers for personal reasons is against policy and can result in punishment up to termination. The employee is fired for violating policy after monitoring software is used to track data. The employee is denied unemployment benefits but can appeal because the policy wasn't fairly implemented. That was because other employees were using the computers for personal reasons. They were checking personal emails or using it for a quick check of stocks or whatever. The management had no problem with those employees because they busted their butts 95% of the time and got a lot of work done. BUT it was a violation. So you have to be careful and consult a legal expert (always a good move).

PurelyNonsense · 01-03-2018 -- 09:37:51

Here's a good little read for you about the subject. Be warned, it's 12 whole pages.

http://www.iiakm.org/ojakm/articles/2013/volume1_2/OJAKM_Volume1_2pp44-55.pdf

briansalomon · 01-05-2018 -- 07:10:13

Thanks, that's useful. It's obvious that monitoring sofware is here to stay and can be useful but from a productivity viewpoint it's more realistic to view it as a tool of limited use.

In my experience the most effective way by far to protect against finding yourself in a position where you're loosing sleep over someone's work habits is to cultivate your own technical expertise. When you can dictate where you're going to work it simplifies everything.

microwave-kevin · 01-15-2018 -- 23:15:58

I ran a small metrology (45 staff) for two dozen years, I was also tasked as IT manager for the entire company (450 employees) for six of those years, only 6 staff reporting to me but nearly 400 computers.

First off, any comany with an idea of security runs a firewall and all traffic is through a proxy, even https!, once you click OK the https is moot.

In the Met lab all I had to do was publish the amount of time each metrologist spent per month per site on the company bulletin board and it was also incorporated into the annual employee review (bonus / increment) and it's amazing what self policing does.

The other 400 employees we ended up just tightening the firewall and firing a few folks.

It worked for the six years I managed IT over a half dozen countries.

Just My Nickel

briansalomon · 01-18-2018 -- 20:27:18

Useful nickel.

I'm pushing for posting prduction/QC failures per tech but posting the sites visited is probably just as good.

microwave-kevin · 01-18-2018 -- 22:29:39

That's cool, I thought you were headed to the moniter every five minutes. The Fluke Product works pretty decent (Met/CAl/Team-Track) but is getting as little long in the tooth; but, if you also want them calibrating them the software / training is a good investment. For time keeping type stuff I've always thought it bad process to push numbers / productivity. I worked in one lab that wanted $1100 invoice-able per day per tech.... worked for about two years then the 17025 scope went from 27 pages to ZERO!

Initiative stopped and everyone just took care of their business, no team work

Aloha

silv3rstr3 · 01-19-2018 -- 09:25:30

Quote from: microwave-kevin on 01-18-2018 -- 22:29:39
That's cool, I thought you were headed to the moniter every five minutes. The Fluke Product works pretty decent (Met/CAl/Team-Track) but is getting as little long in the tooth; but, if you also want them calibrating them the software / training is a good investment. For time keeping type stuff I've always thought it bad process to push numbers / productivity. I worked in one lab that wanted $1100 invoice-able per day per tech.... worked for about two years then the 17025 scope went from 27 pages to ZERO! Initiative stopped and everyone just took care of their business, no team work

That is so true! I used to work at a commercial place that was the same way. Technicians were supposed to bill $150/hr every single day. Then they would turn around and charge customers $200 for us to calibrate spectrum analyzers!! Very stressful on the technicians that actually wanted to do the job right...

briansalomon · 01-20-2018 -- 05:29:39

I don't want to force production on anyone. I already know my customers and employer are getting a fair shake.

What I want is everyone pulling in the same direction with the same effort and I know what is and isn't happening in the lab without any software.

I can see how it could cause other problems but I think it might help to motivate the underacheivers in the lab if their contributions and effors were posted in a public place.

silv3rstr3 · 01-20-2018 -- 13:29:39

I completely understand what you mean. I have been working at an in-house laboratory for the last 4 years which is a huge change in environment from the last company I worked at. In that time I have watched 3 different technicians get "managed" out the door for poor performance. It was an extremely painful process to watch as the manager did just about everything they could think of to try to motivate them. At the end of the day some people are just Sh*tbags through and through. It's one of my biggest pet peeves since I actually have a drive to work hard and give 110%.

It really does bring down moral and create resentments from the good employees. I don't mind taking on extra work if someone is out sick or on vacation. However, when it's a constant task even when these employees are at work I really lose my patience. Then you got to watch what you say because these Sh*tbags are just looking for any reason to run to HR and complain to prolong their wasteful employment. After those employees were finally terminated I'm starting to understand why our "Lead" technician (using the term Lead loosely because he doesn't lead anything) tried to cover for those employees so much. He is just as big as a Sh*tbag as they were and he was able to hide his laziness behind them. It's a shame that anyone could foster the attitude to come to work and do as little as humanly possible. The only thing my supervisor excels at is making excuses when put on the spot. Lucky for him the new manager is naive and spends more time with a headset on in meetings than actually managing this lab.