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

What is good for the game is good for the workplace. 

Is this statement true and if so, how can you make that happen? Moreover, does software for monitoring computer activity help matters in this case?

Research shows that in the days leading up to a major sports event, 27 minutes out of a workday is spent on sports-related activities. 

Additionally, HR managers state that the day after a big football game is so slow that it should be made into a holiday.


But how to maintain a productive environment with so many sports events in a year - and do you need to introduce time tracking in the office to be able to keep an eye on things? 

Should You Let Employees Watch Sports?

Whether your employees are die-hard sports fans or not, getting invested in the same thing as your coworker can have a beneficial effect on the whole office (although being on opposite sides can cause some friction, too). It boosts morale and creates positive energy, thus making a happier office

The question is - should you let people watch a football game or a tennis match in the office? Will they be more productive and attentive if they do watch or if they don’t? 

The prevalent opinion is that it’s best if you allow watching some major sports events like the Olympics during office hours. While most big sports events happen in the evening - out of most employees’ working hours - Olympics tend to be an all-day-thing. Additionally, if it’s a championship that’s happening in another country, chances are the time zone won’t fit your evening hours.

Have in mind that if they’ve decided on watching a game that happens to be aired during office hours, you won’t be able to stop them. Everyone has a smartphone these days, so if they don’t depend on the company WiFi, you can’t really block their internet access. 

What you can do is monitor employee computers or install time tracker software in order to see if they’ve watched the game there and how productive they were. 

However, before you go ahead with implementing employee tracking software, you could also have confidence in your employees that they won’t neglect their professional duties. After all, isn’t that part of the reason you hired them in the first place - because you had confidence they are responsible enough to get the job done?

In a company with a respectable level of productivity, a sports event that happens once a year or every four years shouldn’t create too much of a disturbance since it’s possible to properly manage employee time. 

Why Should You Let Employees Watch Sports?

For one, the Olympic Games, for example, are held only once every four years, and it is such a big event on the international scale that it will probably have a positive effect on people to catch a glimpse of certain events every once in a while. Not only will they be less distracted by thinking about what is happening while they can’t get to a screen, but it will also contribute to bonding within your staff. 

Aside from improving communication and interpersonal skills among your employees, it will also raise the level of their job satisfaction. Watching a game with colleagues in the office will contribute to turning your employees into company people willing to go that extra mile for the firm when the occasion arises. 

It can even help new hires connect to the team and the entire company faster. Aside from the cost of employee monitoring software, the company won’t have to spend much. 

Bear in mind that international events are your safest bet when it comes to choosing which sports events to let in your office - they will all be cheering in unison for the same team. Even if you are employing people from all around the world, chances are they will rarely come into the position to clash with each other. Either the corresponding teams won’t actually play against each other or your employees will naturally come to root for some other team where it just comes down to good fun. 

How to Keep a Productive Office During Sports Events

With all its pros and cons, the big question is how to watch a game during office hours and not hurt the business in the process? 


Answer - create a firm policy regarding time and productivity and communicate clearly to the entire staff. Here is what you can do: 

  • Talk to the employees informally and make sure they understand that business mustn’t suffer because of a game they want to watch. You can have a vote to choose and sync on which games would be interesting for everyone to watch and organize some type of shifts so that there is always someone covering for someone else. Use project management and time tracking software to make sure tasks are being handled appropriately. 
  • Ensure you don’t give the impression that watching TV in the office is the new standard behavior. If you’ve agreed on following the Olympics, be careful not to end up watching soap operas by the end of working hours. 
  • Set ground rules for the cheering behavior that is allowed. Clarify to the staff that watching a game in the office is not the same as doing it in a bar or at home. That entails that those watching the game shouldn’t distract others who need to be working at that moment or have no interest in the game. 
  • Consider the technical conditions in your workspace and whether they allow a lot of streaming without causing a network outage, for example. If your support team points out potential issues connected with streaming and watching games, you should consider working from home for a few days so that avid fans can follow the events and work. This is exactly where remote employee monitoring software will come in handy to keep an eye on their productivity levels. 

The Takeaways

Having a football game to bond over with your colleagues will undoubtedly boost morale in the office and eventually carry over to the efficacy with which people are handling their tasks. If you have developed a result-oriented working atmosphere, letting big sports events in your office can only have a positive effect on the employees and their results. 


This article was originally written on July 29th, 2016 by Marija Grgur. It was updated on June 11th, 2020 by Aleksandra Djordjevic.

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Business Management

How to Maintain a Productive Office During Big Sports Events

Written by
Aleksandra Djordjevic
Published on
June 11, 2020

What is good for the game is good for the workplace. 

Is this statement true and if so, how can you make that happen? Moreover, does software for monitoring computer activity help matters in this case?

Research shows that in the days leading up to a major sports event, 27 minutes out of a workday is spent on sports-related activities. 

Additionally, HR managers state that the day after a big football game is so slow that it should be made into a holiday.


But how to maintain a productive environment with so many sports events in a year - and do you need to introduce time tracking in the office to be able to keep an eye on things? 

Should You Let Employees Watch Sports?

Whether your employees are die-hard sports fans or not, getting invested in the same thing as your coworker can have a beneficial effect on the whole office (although being on opposite sides can cause some friction, too). It boosts morale and creates positive energy, thus making a happier office

The question is - should you let people watch a football game or a tennis match in the office? Will they be more productive and attentive if they do watch or if they don’t? 

The prevalent opinion is that it’s best if you allow watching some major sports events like the Olympics during office hours. While most big sports events happen in the evening - out of most employees’ working hours - Olympics tend to be an all-day-thing. Additionally, if it’s a championship that’s happening in another country, chances are the time zone won’t fit your evening hours.

Have in mind that if they’ve decided on watching a game that happens to be aired during office hours, you won’t be able to stop them. Everyone has a smartphone these days, so if they don’t depend on the company WiFi, you can’t really block their internet access. 

What you can do is monitor employee computers or install time tracker software in order to see if they’ve watched the game there and how productive they were. 

However, before you go ahead with implementing employee tracking software, you could also have confidence in your employees that they won’t neglect their professional duties. After all, isn’t that part of the reason you hired them in the first place - because you had confidence they are responsible enough to get the job done?

In a company with a respectable level of productivity, a sports event that happens once a year or every four years shouldn’t create too much of a disturbance since it’s possible to properly manage employee time. 

Why Should You Let Employees Watch Sports?

For one, the Olympic Games, for example, are held only once every four years, and it is such a big event on the international scale that it will probably have a positive effect on people to catch a glimpse of certain events every once in a while. Not only will they be less distracted by thinking about what is happening while they can’t get to a screen, but it will also contribute to bonding within your staff. 

Aside from improving communication and interpersonal skills among your employees, it will also raise the level of their job satisfaction. Watching a game with colleagues in the office will contribute to turning your employees into company people willing to go that extra mile for the firm when the occasion arises. 

It can even help new hires connect to the team and the entire company faster. Aside from the cost of employee monitoring software, the company won’t have to spend much. 

Bear in mind that international events are your safest bet when it comes to choosing which sports events to let in your office - they will all be cheering in unison for the same team. Even if you are employing people from all around the world, chances are they will rarely come into the position to clash with each other. Either the corresponding teams won’t actually play against each other or your employees will naturally come to root for some other team where it just comes down to good fun. 

How to Keep a Productive Office During Sports Events

With all its pros and cons, the big question is how to watch a game during office hours and not hurt the business in the process? 


Answer - create a firm policy regarding time and productivity and communicate clearly to the entire staff. Here is what you can do: 

  • Talk to the employees informally and make sure they understand that business mustn’t suffer because of a game they want to watch. You can have a vote to choose and sync on which games would be interesting for everyone to watch and organize some type of shifts so that there is always someone covering for someone else. Use project management and time tracking software to make sure tasks are being handled appropriately. 
  • Ensure you don’t give the impression that watching TV in the office is the new standard behavior. If you’ve agreed on following the Olympics, be careful not to end up watching soap operas by the end of working hours. 
  • Set ground rules for the cheering behavior that is allowed. Clarify to the staff that watching a game in the office is not the same as doing it in a bar or at home. That entails that those watching the game shouldn’t distract others who need to be working at that moment or have no interest in the game. 
  • Consider the technical conditions in your workspace and whether they allow a lot of streaming without causing a network outage, for example. If your support team points out potential issues connected with streaming and watching games, you should consider working from home for a few days so that avid fans can follow the events and work. This is exactly where remote employee monitoring software will come in handy to keep an eye on their productivity levels. 

The Takeaways

Having a football game to bond over with your colleagues will undoubtedly boost morale in the office and eventually carry over to the efficacy with which people are handling their tasks. If you have developed a result-oriented working atmosphere, letting big sports events in your office can only have a positive effect on the employees and their results. 


This article was originally written on July 29th, 2016 by Marija Grgur. It was updated on June 11th, 2020 by Aleksandra Djordjevic.