Productivity
refers to the efficiency by which an organization or its employees perform a
task concerning invested resources such as time and money. However, a decline
in productivity can damage the organization because it represents a waste of
both time and money. For example, according to a study,
distraction at work alone costs US businesses an astounding USD 650 billion
every year. It is not surprising that managers have developed many ways to
improve productivity, and one of them is smartphone monitoring. In this
article, we will explore some of the important reasons that can hamper
productivity and evaluate how smartphone monitoring apps can help. We will then
review features offered by one of the top employee monitoring apps and evaluate
its usefulness.

Let’s go through some important reasons why productivity declines.
Distraction

Distraction is among the chief reasons why employees are unable to initiate or complete a task on time. Regular distractions can also impact the quality of the work. The work takes longer and may not be up to the mark. The company may not be able to achieve its goals efficiently because of this. Smartphone use is a major cause of distraction, with social media apps sending notifications regularly. A scroll through the newsfeed can take more than just a few seconds as well. Similarly, frequent calls, messages, and other smartphone apps designed to hold our attention can hamper productivity as well. A smartphone monitoring app designed for use in the workplace can counter these problems. App blocking, phone use monitoring, call supervision, and browsing activity trackers can prevent distractions at work.

Ineffective supervision

Ineffective supervision in this context refers to managers who tend to oversee all parts of the work, as well as how it is being done. This kind of detail orientation is often seen as a positive attribute. However, it can also be a sign that you are a micromanager. Micromanagement is a serious problem that can impact creativity, sense of freedom, challenge self-esteem, and degrade motivation. All of this means that employees feel uncertain and unmotivated to initiate and complete a task. This has a direct impact on productivity. Managers can use a smartphone monitoring app to stay aware of what is happening, without having to ask their team members all the time. You can use the app to monitor email exchanges and web browsing activity to get a sense of how much has been done, and how.

Poor communication

Communication lies at the center of all relationships between and employees and managers. While most of it is related to work, employees are also likely to form social relationships with people at the office. However, these relationships are often impacted by personal disagreements, perceived discrimination, unfair treatment, and rude behavior. Some employees may make complaints, while others often stay silent. Either way, the productivity at the office is affected. An employee monitoring app can be used to track most, if not all digital communication between individuals. These can include messages exchanged via emails, texts, and social media. Using a smartphone monitoring app, therefore, help you resolve conflicts or disagreements, and improve the working relationships between people at the office.

Slow workflow

Slow workflow can have a deep impact on your company’s performance. The work at your office often has to go through several stages before it can be marked as complete. However, many times, the work gets stuck in the transition phases because of errors in the workflow. The impact of this problem on the quality and quantity of work is the same as poor productivity. Poor communication, coordination, undefined roles, and other reasons lie behind this problem. However, by using an employee monitoring app, you can improve workflow performance by tracking down where and how the flow is being affected.

Improper digital work management

The modern work environment is changing rapidly. Norms regarding office work have changed dramatically in recent years and are expected to change in the future as well. For example, remote working and flexible hours with better work-life balance are now finding space in the business world. Companies are adopting this trend and are introducing policies to accommodate such demands from employees. However, improper management of the digital work environment can lead to loss of productivity as communication and coordination issues arise. Smartphone monitoring apps can help you in this regard because you will stay abreast of what your workforce is doing, even if they are not physically present in the office.

These are important factors that can lead to a decline in productivity. However, a smartphone monitoring app designed for employee management can help you. One of the top employee monitoring app called XNSPY offers plenty of advanced features to suit your needs. Bear in mind though, that you need the consent of your employees before installing a monitoring app on company-owned devices.

XNSPY

Let’s review the features offered by the app and evaluate how they can assist you in monitoring your workforce.

Call monitoring: You can go through a call log that details all incoming, outgoing, and missed calls. This way, you will know who spoke with whom and about what in detail.

Message tracking: Read all sent and received messages, including those exchanged via apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, or Facebook Messenger, and stay abreast of workflow processes.

Online activity monitoring: Monitor the performance of all employees by tracking browsing history and emails.

Location tracking: Get access to their location in real-time and track GPS history. Use geofencing to stay alert to any changes. This is particularly useful for monitoring remote workers and offsite projects.

App-use monitoring: View all installed apps and block those you think are causing distraction.

Instant alert and the remote control: The app will immediately inform you if there is any activity related to pre-designated keywords, contacts, or locations. You can also remotely control the smartphone to lock the device and even wipe off all data.

XNSPY is flexible, affordable, and intuitive app that offers features that can help to improve productivity at your office. You can do so to manage distractions, improve workflow and communications, avoiding micromanagement, and introducing a better digital work environment.