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

Since employee monitoring has become a widely known and used tool, many people try to trick it and play around it. It’s human nature to try to find ways to outsmart the other one and work outside the rules without being caught. So, even though you implemented a software to log computer activity you can’t let your guard down. 


You would be astonished if you knew what are employees capable of in order to trick such a software. So, in this article, we’ll cover some of the most typical ways of how do people try to work around such a tool. 

Case #1


You might not believe this at first glance, but a ridiculous method employees use to fool the web browsing monitoring software is by attaching a battery-operated toy to the computer’s mouse. When the toy moves, the mouse will move as well and the software will record this activity. Therefore, it would seem like the employee has been doing something where in fact, they haven’t. However, if you try to actually check the screenshots, you’ll understand that your employee has tried to cheat on you.


And that’s why this is the perfect time to emphasize how important it is to have a screen monitoring software for pc with a screenshot option. You can set that screenshots are taken every let’s say 30 minutes and have a solid evidence of what are your employees doing at a particular moment.


Case #2


Many jobs have what’s called a two-monitor system. The employee uses two monitors for their work, just because it’s easier to control everything in front of their eyes. But,it turns out that a lot of employee watch programs can’t really collect data from both monitors. So, what do employees do? They conduct business as usual using the monitor which is being watched by the software, and lurk on Instagram or Facebook on the other one. Simple as that.


This is exactly why it’s important to get a quality, professional monitoring software for network computers. They might cost a little extra, but they got you covered and your employees will have minimum chance of tricking you. 


Case #3


Remember that screenshot option which most screen monitoring software have? Well, people figured it out as well. Some employees try to cheat the system by estimating the period on which the screenshots are taken. They pretend to be working at that exact moment and later on just continue being unproductive. 


Thankfully, many monitoring systems don’t rely just on the screenshot option. At the end of each day, you’ll get a visual representation of how and on what your employees were spending their time. So, even if they tricked the screenshot, they can’t trick their overall productivity levels. 



Case #4


Some employees go to such extent and mess with the code of the software that tracks computer activity itself. If they have a bit more knowledge, they can find the source and tailor it so that it can’t monitor some of their activities. Now I’m not saying that this is super easy and that most employees do it. In fact, it’s extremely difficult and it’s often not the case. But, writing this article I’ve read about a few situations which happened in the companies that implemented software to track computer use. So, it’s not impossible. Although, if you have such a software, you can always contact the customer service and if you suspect something similar has occurred, they can easily look into the issue. 


Conclusion


To round up, even if you implemented an employee monitoring software, you can’t ease your mind. If you manage a lot of employees, chances are some of them will try to trick it. It’s just a statistic. And if that does happen, hopefully this article has helped you recognize some of the typical ways that employees try to avoid monitoring.

There are some other ways your employees could be trying to trick your monitoring software, so try searching how to trick ActivTrak (or whatever the name of your software is), and you'll be able to find all the tips and tricks employees are sharing with each other.

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Employee Monitoring

Here’s How Your Employees Could Trick Your Monitoring Software

Written by
Aleksa Misic
Published on
September 12, 2019

Since employee monitoring has become a widely known and used tool, many people try to trick it and play around it. It’s human nature to try to find ways to outsmart the other one and work outside the rules without being caught. So, even though you implemented a software to log computer activity you can’t let your guard down. 


You would be astonished if you knew what are employees capable of in order to trick such a software. So, in this article, we’ll cover some of the most typical ways of how do people try to work around such a tool. 

Case #1


You might not believe this at first glance, but a ridiculous method employees use to fool the web browsing monitoring software is by attaching a battery-operated toy to the computer’s mouse. When the toy moves, the mouse will move as well and the software will record this activity. Therefore, it would seem like the employee has been doing something where in fact, they haven’t. However, if you try to actually check the screenshots, you’ll understand that your employee has tried to cheat on you.


And that’s why this is the perfect time to emphasize how important it is to have a screen monitoring software for pc with a screenshot option. You can set that screenshots are taken every let’s say 30 minutes and have a solid evidence of what are your employees doing at a particular moment.


Case #2


Many jobs have what’s called a two-monitor system. The employee uses two monitors for their work, just because it’s easier to control everything in front of their eyes. But,it turns out that a lot of employee watch programs can’t really collect data from both monitors. So, what do employees do? They conduct business as usual using the monitor which is being watched by the software, and lurk on Instagram or Facebook on the other one. Simple as that.


This is exactly why it’s important to get a quality, professional monitoring software for network computers. They might cost a little extra, but they got you covered and your employees will have minimum chance of tricking you. 


Case #3


Remember that screenshot option which most screen monitoring software have? Well, people figured it out as well. Some employees try to cheat the system by estimating the period on which the screenshots are taken. They pretend to be working at that exact moment and later on just continue being unproductive. 


Thankfully, many monitoring systems don’t rely just on the screenshot option. At the end of each day, you’ll get a visual representation of how and on what your employees were spending their time. So, even if they tricked the screenshot, they can’t trick their overall productivity levels. 



Case #4


Some employees go to such extent and mess with the code of the software that tracks computer activity itself. If they have a bit more knowledge, they can find the source and tailor it so that it can’t monitor some of their activities. Now I’m not saying that this is super easy and that most employees do it. In fact, it’s extremely difficult and it’s often not the case. But, writing this article I’ve read about a few situations which happened in the companies that implemented software to track computer use. So, it’s not impossible. Although, if you have such a software, you can always contact the customer service and if you suspect something similar has occurred, they can easily look into the issue. 


Conclusion


To round up, even if you implemented an employee monitoring software, you can’t ease your mind. If you manage a lot of employees, chances are some of them will try to trick it. It’s just a statistic. And if that does happen, hopefully this article has helped you recognize some of the typical ways that employees try to avoid monitoring.

There are some other ways your employees could be trying to trick your monitoring software, so try searching how to trick ActivTrak (or whatever the name of your software is), and you'll be able to find all the tips and tricks employees are sharing with each other.