Staff Tracking vs Employee Monitoring – How are They Different?

Staff tracking involves monitoring location and work hours, while employee monitoring includes monitoring productivity levels for in-house staff. Read on to know how two are identical yet dissimilar.

The difference between staff tracking and employee monitoring is often a point of debate. Many think both are similar. Well, that’s true, but up to some level only. Both have an overarching meaning to them.

However, both have a common end goal, that is to:

• Observe employees’ or staff’s activities and productivity levels.
• Identify employees who are underperforming, overperforming, or are simply outliers.
• Lead towards holistic management, fix gaps, and improve operational efficiency and resource allocation.

Staff Tracking vs Employee Monitoring- Are They Different? How So?

Let’s identify how staff tracking and employee monitoring have different connotations to them.

1. Field Staff Tracking

Field staff tracking is all about keeping tabs on employees’ current location, whereabouts, work, or task progress. It’s mainly performed around field employees like MR executives, technicians, delivery agents, and field service staff. The sales staff tracking app includes:

 ✅Location Tracking

It involves tracking employees’ physical locations, useful for industries where the payout is based on the total distance travelled. Like field staff in delivery services, fieldwork, or technicians.

✅ Time Tracking

Monitoring clock-in and clock-out hours is part of staff tracking which also includes tracking employees’ on-duty hours, break, halts and complete attendance data.

✅Task Management

The staff tracking app involves an exclusive task management software, where managers can track and monitor the progress of assigned tasks or projects to individuals or teams.

🔍 Final Takeaway on Staff Tracking Focuses on tracking of location and movement. Mostly used in field service jobs in areas of delivery, service maintenance, or security. Tracking is done via GPS or timecards and doesn’t involve tracking computer activity or keystrokes. The purpose of remote or field staff tracking app is to improve executive scheduling, optimize routing, keep track of billable hours, and ensure employee safety and sanity.

2. Employee Monitoring

On the other hand, employee monitoring encompasses very detailed surveillance of employees’ behaviours and activities. It’s very suitable for in-office or remote staff who work through fixed locations and don’t have roles around fieldwork. It includes:

✅Internet Usage Monitoring

Many organisations keep an eye on their in-office staff’s internet activities. This helps ensure employees aren’t idling or leisurely browsing during work hours.

✅Screen Monitoring

It involves real-time or periodic checks on employees’ computer screens to see what they are working on. Some tools even fetch random screen captures via screenshots or screen recordings.

✅Communication Tracking

It involves monitoring emails, chats or calls to ensure compliance with company policies. Especially in cases of sensitive information or inappropriate communication.

✅Performance Metrics

It involves tracking and analyzing productivity metrics, such as tasks completed, sales figures, or overall goals achieved.

🔍 Final Takeaway on Employee Monitoring It rather focuses on desk-led employees’ computer activity. It helps track web applications used, total websites visited, keystrokes, and more most of the time – screen captures as well. Might nag employees who aren’t big on having a big brother watching or deeply intruding on their privacy. This type of monitoring intends to simply avoid data breaches, identify underperformers, ensure compliance with company policies, and identify areas for training or improvement.

How Does Employee Monitoring Software like “TrackoField” Simplify Field Employee Tracking?

TrackoField stands as the best employee monitoring software that supports the complete field staff management – right from live location tracking to complete management of expenses and other administrative tasks.

• Real-time Location Tracking

By using GPS technology the software helps managers with real-time location data for their field employees. This allows managers to know where their employees are at the given moment, whether they are on their way to the job site, have successfully reached the client location, or have made progress on the tasks. Best part? Tracking starts only when employees punch in for the day till the time they log out.

• Automated Attendance Management

Manual or on-site biometric attendance tracking is very time-consuming for both managers and field employees. The software allows the executives to mark the geo-coded attendance through an app itself. This further helps simplify payroll processing based on their attendance records, working hours, and the leaves taken.

• Improved Task Management

TrackoField lets you easily assign tasks, track progress, and monitor progress in real-time through its task management solution. This helps both managers and employees stay organized and informed, ensuring tasks are completed efficiently and on time.

• Streamlined Expense Management

The software simplifies expense tracking for field employees by enabling online expense claims, attaching original bills, and tracking the status of the claim — all in one place via an expense management module. Best part? This eliminates paper receipts piles and lessens the chances of clerical errors.

• Productivity Reports

The software’s best part is its analytical dashboard that lays every data of individual employees aesthetically in pie charts and a well-visualized format. To simplify employee tracking, it provides insights into employees’ live location and current tasks or actions.

• In-Built Chat & Custom Forms

The software has built-in communication tools like chat and voice note, wherein you can stay in touch with your executives instantly. This way you won’t have to invest in time-consuming phone calls and emails to keep track of their progress.

Make monitoring employees in the workplace a breeze and less worrying.

Wait… there’s more!

Bigger benefits of using such comprehensive staff tracking software by TrackoField:

• Improved employee safety: By knowing where your employees are, you can provide them with assistance in case of emergencies or accidents. Best part? The executive app offers an SoS button option that helps evacuate field employees working in complex or risky sites.
• Reduced paperwork and administrative tasks: This scaling employee monitoring software solutions automate tasks like real time tracking and expense reporting, which saves a lot of time and resources.
• Improved decision-making: The software leads you toward real-time data about your field workforce, with which you can make better decisions about planning shifts, scheduling, and resource allocation.

Staff Tracking vs Employee Monitoring – Which One to Choose?

Here are a few considerations that you must keep in account while opting between the above two kinds of best employee monitoring software:

1. Job type –  Staff tracking is feasible for job roles where there are frequent service requests or fieldwork, while employee monitoring is suitable for in-office staff or remote working staff.
2. Company culture – Employee monitoring may not be required in company cultures that are flexible and open, while businesses with high-security needs might benefit from it.
3. Employee privacy – While tracking or monitoring the field or in-house staff, it’s important to pursue this process for legitimate purposes while simultaneously respecting employee privacy.
4. Workforce strength or size – If you have a large field workforce tracking software may come in handy to manage and track employees.
5. Your budget? Staff tracking software and employee monitoring software are available at different prices, so choose accordingly.

Final Takeaway on Staff Tracking vs Employee Monitoring!

We learned that staff track is more focused on the logistical aspects of work and the progress of staff while employee monitoring involves comprehensive observation of employees’ behavior, productivity, and adherence to company policies. Both kinds add to similar goals in the long run, that is to increase productivity, enhance transparency, and improve the bottom lines of the company.

If you are interested in onboarding or upgrading to a field employee tracking software that does more than just tracking locational aspects, TrackoField is the name to believe in.

Not sure? Come on, there is no harm in trying a free trial!