Employee Monitoring Statistics for 2023: Current Trends & Prospects for the Future

Introducing the practice of employee monitoring in your company has proven to be a great way to ensure productivity and accountability among your teams as well as to keep sensitive data safe.

At the same time, trends in employee monitoring do tend to change along with developments in technology and work styles. That’s why it is especially important for business owners to know the answers to the most frequently asked questions about workplace monitoring and stay on top of the ever-changing statistics in this scope so as to stay updated on the latest trends and know future perspectives.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the key insightful employee monitoring statistics and try to predict the development trends for the upcoming years. 

The overall rise of employee monitoring

According to the Top10VPN survey, since the beginning of the pandemic, demand for employee monitoring software surged up to 58%.

Gitnux research stated that employees were 7% more effective when they were aware that they were being monitored. 

According to data from Statista, about 40% of employees are okay with the monitoring aspect of their jobs.

According to Zippia, 90% of companies that employ freelancers turn to the help of corresponding employee monitoring software.

These data clearly show that the practice of employee monitoring is overall on the rise. Employers all over the world are increasingly turning to monitoring software to help them keep track of employee activity, such as their browsing history and app usage. This can lead to improved personnel efficiency and increased accountability, but at the same time it can also lead to potential legal disputes and lower employee morale.

The scope of monitoring

GetApp survey of 100 businesses in 2022 found that 74% of them spend up to 8 hours tracking employee hours every two weeks. 

According to Kickidler survey, most often employers tend to monitor those specialists who work with money (out of 36 responds, 16 respondents monitor their sales managers).

Digital.com survey in 2021 found that the top reason for employers turn toward monitoring software is the need to better understand how their employees are spending working hours (79%). 

These numbers show that employee monitoring software helps businesses with improving team collaboration, communication, and performance, thus having a positive impact on the overall productivity and efficiency of the specialists.

Employee monitoring from the employer’s POV

A collaborative ExpressVPN and Pollfish survey revealed that over 78% of the 2’000 employers who participated in the said survey tracked their employees using monitoring software.

The 2020 Insider Threat Report highlighted that 68% of respondents felt vulnerable to insider attacks and affirmed that such attacks had become more frequent.

Insightful Kickidler client case analytics showed that implementing proper monitoring software can help businesses retain customers (by lowering cancellation rate by 10-15%) and increase their profit (by an average of approx. €8 thousand extra revenue).

These statistics present an argument for the importance of employee monitoring software as an essential tool for businesses to ensure that their teams are working both effectively and efficiently.

Employee monitoring from the employee’s POV

Clutch.co survey of 400 US employees found that only 21% believed their company was monitoring them using designated software. And while 72% of respondents stated that monitoring apps wouldn’t affect their productivity, 13% believed it would increase their productivity.

When Capterra Canada Workplace Surveillance Survey in 2022 asked respondents if they thought their company would violate privacy laws to monitor their work, most of those asked (60%) believed their employers would respect the laws. Most employees surveyed (65%) also didn’t believe that being monitored would have any impact on the way they worked.

Kickidler presented a case with an employee’s viewpoint of the monitoring that highlighted improved productivity and overall sense of discipline as a result of implementing the software, at the same time pinpointing some bottlenecks that may occur due to manager’s improper use of such tools.

These responses matter in the overall picture of employee monitoring, since they highlight employees’ prevalent certain discomfort with their employers using tracking methods and technologies to monitor their productivity. And while it could potentially lead to a decrease in team spirits and an increase in employee turnover, on the other hand, it could also help with increasing transparency of the work processes.

Thus, it is important to implement such monitoring in a manner that is both effective and responsible.

The future of employee monitoring

According to the Spherical Insights market overview, global employee monitoring software market size in 2021 was valued at $1.12 billion, and it is expected to reach $2.10 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 7.2%.

Reasons for companies to implement employee monitoring software

• Better data protection. Malicious and negligent insider threats can lead to terrible data leaks. Monitoring the company networks for any anomalous behavior aids in protecting sensitive data against such threats.
• Improved workplace productivity. Many employees spend some amount of billable business hours browsing social media and being engaged in other non-work-related tasks. While a certain percentage of switching off in-between tasks can actually help increase employee productivity in the long rung, it’s also possible to go overboard. Employers measure productivity to determine if productivity losses are partly due to the excessive distractions.
• Efficient project management. Employee monitoring software provides managers with important data that can be used to estimate future projects and ensure that all the current projects are on track.
• Handy time tracking. Since most employers are required to track the hours worked by their personnel, dedicated software helps verify active hours of both in-office and remote workers to ensure everything is carried out in compliance with the state laws.

Final thoughts

Using the right tools and strategies, employee monitoring software can become a tremendous help in improving business operations and increasing employee productivity. Such tools can also help companies minimize financial losses due to lost productivity, incorrect payrolls or increase staff turnover while ensuring compliance with privacy laws.

By understanding the importance of employee monitoring software and choosing the right one to implement for your company’s specific needs, you can create a more productive and efficient workplace. Use the data and trends shared in this article to gain vital insights. And if you’re on the hunt for the best way to monitor your employees, Kickidler truly is the tool for you.