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
Workpuls Hubstaff Toggl TimeDoctor Harvest TimeCamp Timely Everhour Tick TMetric
OVERVIEW
Price (per month) $6 per user $5.83 per user $9 per user $9.99 per user $10.80 per user $5.25 per user $99 for 5 users $7 per user $19 for 10 projects $5 per user
Free trial 7 days 14 days 30 days 14 days 30 days Yes 14 days 14 days 30 days 30 days
Ease of use Very easy Difficult Difficult Very easy Easy Very easy Easy Difficult Very easy Difficult
TIME TRACKING METHODS
Manual
Start/stop buttons
Automatic time mapping
IN-DEPTH TASK AND PROJECT ANALYSIS
Screenshots
App and website usage
Activity levels coming soon
Real-time tracking
TASK AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project adding
Project templates
Project status
Task assignment
Task priorities
Budgeting coming soon
Mark billable/non-billable hours
Payroll calculation
Invoicing
ALERTS
Idle time reminders
Deadline alerts coming soon
Budget alerts coming soon
REPORTING
Client login
Productivity analysis
Email reports coming soon
PLATFORMS
Web
Mac desktop app
Windows desktop app
Linux desktop app coming soon
iOS app Beta
Android app
Browser extension Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome Chrome, Firefox Chrome Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge
OTHER
Support Phone and online Email and online Email and online Online Online, email and phone Email, online and support ticket Email and chat Email and chat Email Chat
Knowledge base
Video tutorials
Integrations coming soon
API
On-premise hosting

There are points in life when you are working your butt off, yet still feel like you are being totally unproductive and as if you are wasting your energy. This can happen more often than one might think and it should be the moment for deep introspection. Maybe it’s because of overall job dissatisfaction, maybe it’s due to stress or personal issues, or maybe it’s just lack of time management skills. No matter what the reason is, the worst thing one could do is to do nothing and keep living with that type of discomfort.


Around 100 years ago, Frederick Taylor stressed the importance of efficiency and based on it developed a whole new science, today known as management. Since then, organizations have evolved a lot, but productivity as a KPI still provides us with important information for organizing both businesses and ourselves. That’s why 100 years later, productivity is still taken very seriously – it’s followed, measured and appropriately managed.


While there are numerous tips and tricks to help you stay focused and productive, none of them can be implemented if you haven’t mastered the fundamentals, so that’s what we’ll talk about. What are the four basic components you should take care of before trying out a new time management technique or a cool new app to track work hours?


1. Environment

The design of your office, whether it's the one in your home or in the actual office building will affect the productivity of your employees and yourself. If you and your team are working remotely, you should try to have a dedicated working space. Many remote companies provide allowances to employees, so they can get a new desk, an office chair, and other equipment they might need to create a perfect workspace. This dedicated piece of the apartment will help you feel like you’re at work, and since your brain will associate it with work, it will be easier to focus and stay productive.


When thinking of office design for collocated teams, you should carefully consider whether to have an open plan or not. Open-space offices have become increasingly popular in the last years, and one of the main reasons is the reduced cost of creating the office space. While open plans are great for collaboration, they can be a great source of distractions among employees. 


The colors you choose for the walls, chairs, desks and carpets also affect employees’ mood, and they can have an impact on productivity. The green color is usually associated with nature, which is calming, and it’s also good if your employees spend their days in front of their computers. You can incorporate it into your office by adding more plants to the workspace, it’s a way of bringing nature and the calm inside. Blue also has a calming effect, because we’re usually associating it with the sky, and spending time outside. Some studies have shown that blue and green help with improving efficiency and focus.


Red is connected to high-energy levels, and a sense of urgency, which is why you shouldn’t use it in the main spaces, where employees spend a lot of time. You can use it in the hallways, bathrooms, break rooms, otherwise it could make your team feel anxious, and stressed. Yellow is great for keeping the spirits up, and keeping everyone happy at all times. Supposedly, it triggers innovation, so you should use it where your marketing and development team works at.


Invest in ergonomic equipment - desks, chairs, mice, keyboards. Your employees spend at least 40 hours every week sitting behind that desk, so you must make sure it’s comfortable. A major trend right now is an adjustable desk, which can turn into a standing desk, helping your employees stretch their legs a bit while still working. Ergonomic equipment can prevent injuries, and therefore keep your employees happy and healthy.


It’s not only the workspace you should think about - you should focus on the break rooms as well. Places for brakes should be separated rooms, or patios, where employees can really relax while eating lunch, instead of eating lunch with one hand and typing with the other. Breaks help us reenergize, they make us more productive, they help us connect with our team and be satisfied with our jobs.

2. Distractions‍

Since distractions are a key reason for low productivity, you must find a way to minimize them. Open space offices aren’t really a distraction-free place, so you should invest in noise cancelling headphones, and allow your employees to tune out while working by using them.


Allow your team members to turn off their email or instant messaging notifications for a couple of hours per day, so they can really focus on what they’re doing instead of checking their inbox all the time. Create a general rule so that employees notify other team members when they want to be distraction-free, and make sure you’re all respecting that time.


Some people prefer their desks clean when they’re working, while others feel they’re doing their best work when they have notebooks, pens, markers, post-it notes all around them. Encourage employees to keep their desks the way it helps them stay focused, and keep in mind that not everyone works in the same way as you do.

In case that your team is working remotely, the chances of getting distracted are much higher. While there are no coworkers walking around, chatting about their weekend - there are kids, or roommates, or animals which can distract them. It’s impossible to get rid of all of these distractions, so every person must find a way to deal with them in the best way possible.

 

3. Organization

The way you and your team organize workload and collaboration will heavily affect your productivity and focus. While seeing people work and getting things done can be a great motivator, there should be a certain structure which will help you all achieve more.


Use a project management tool to create and delegate tasks among team members, encourage them to consult coworkers when they aren’t sure how to proceed. Make sure you have a prioritization system, and that all team members are aware of which tasks should be a priority. Encourage everyone to create their own schedules and stick with them. Let your team know it’s okay to test out different time management and productivity techniques which can help them become better at what they do.


Plan all activities, put them in a calendar or on your to-do list, and stick with them. Promote this way of organizing to your team. Not every tool or method will work the same for everyone, but that shouldn’t stop your employees from trying another technique that might be better for them.


We strongly recommend that you use some form of time tracking software, or a remote employee monitoring tool to stay on top of everyone’s activities without having to interrupt them and break their workflow.

4. State of Mind‍

Even though the state of our mind and body don’t affect our productivity in an obvious, measurable way, they certainly have a major impact on it. A study in the UK has found that there are more than 15 million sick days taken per year due to stress, depression or anxiety. What you as a manager and a business owner do, and the way you act heavily affect the way your employees feel, which in turn affects their productivity. 


The same study found that employee engagement increases by 31% if a worker believes that their employer cares about their well-being. These show us that employers need to pay more attention to employees' mental health. We’re still working through the stigma around it, and many workers aren’t comfortable talking about these issues with their bosses. For example, team building exercises which are connected to company’s goals are a great way to make employees feel better and more engaged. 


On the other hand, our physical health also affects the way we work. Working out reduces stress, and helps us blow off some steam after a hard day at work. Employees with poor dietary habits are usually 66% less productive than those who pay attention to what they’re eating. 


Encourage healthy habits by paying your employees’ gym memberships, stock up the kitchen with healthy snacks, or host company lunches with a selection of healthy meals. You could also organize team basketball or soccer games - besides being a great team building activity, it’ll keep all of you healthy and happy. If that’s not really your team’s thing, you can organize a yoga class in the office, or other similar events which encourage movement.


Final Thoughts

No matter how hard we try, we’ll still get distracted by minor things, our focus won’t always be there, and our productivity will go up and down on a daily basis. As a manager or employer you must understand that this is normal, but you should also try to organize the working environment in such ways that it promotes productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of the entire team.

This article was originally written on May 3rd, 2016 by Marija Grgur, it was updated on May 18th, 2020 by Bojana Djordjevic.

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Productivity and Efficiency Improvements

4 Fundamentals for Regaining Focus and Maximizing Productivity

Written by
Bojana Djordjevic
Published on
May 18, 2020

There are points in life when you are working your butt off, yet still feel like you are being totally unproductive and as if you are wasting your energy. This can happen more often than one might think and it should be the moment for deep introspection. Maybe it’s because of overall job dissatisfaction, maybe it’s due to stress or personal issues, or maybe it’s just lack of time management skills. No matter what the reason is, the worst thing one could do is to do nothing and keep living with that type of discomfort.


Around 100 years ago, Frederick Taylor stressed the importance of efficiency and based on it developed a whole new science, today known as management. Since then, organizations have evolved a lot, but productivity as a KPI still provides us with important information for organizing both businesses and ourselves. That’s why 100 years later, productivity is still taken very seriously – it’s followed, measured and appropriately managed.


While there are numerous tips and tricks to help you stay focused and productive, none of them can be implemented if you haven’t mastered the fundamentals, so that’s what we’ll talk about. What are the four basic components you should take care of before trying out a new time management technique or a cool new app to track work hours?


1. Environment

The design of your office, whether it's the one in your home or in the actual office building will affect the productivity of your employees and yourself. If you and your team are working remotely, you should try to have a dedicated working space. Many remote companies provide allowances to employees, so they can get a new desk, an office chair, and other equipment they might need to create a perfect workspace. This dedicated piece of the apartment will help you feel like you’re at work, and since your brain will associate it with work, it will be easier to focus and stay productive.


When thinking of office design for collocated teams, you should carefully consider whether to have an open plan or not. Open-space offices have become increasingly popular in the last years, and one of the main reasons is the reduced cost of creating the office space. While open plans are great for collaboration, they can be a great source of distractions among employees. 


The colors you choose for the walls, chairs, desks and carpets also affect employees’ mood, and they can have an impact on productivity. The green color is usually associated with nature, which is calming, and it’s also good if your employees spend their days in front of their computers. You can incorporate it into your office by adding more plants to the workspace, it’s a way of bringing nature and the calm inside. Blue also has a calming effect, because we’re usually associating it with the sky, and spending time outside. Some studies have shown that blue and green help with improving efficiency and focus.


Red is connected to high-energy levels, and a sense of urgency, which is why you shouldn’t use it in the main spaces, where employees spend a lot of time. You can use it in the hallways, bathrooms, break rooms, otherwise it could make your team feel anxious, and stressed. Yellow is great for keeping the spirits up, and keeping everyone happy at all times. Supposedly, it triggers innovation, so you should use it where your marketing and development team works at.


Invest in ergonomic equipment - desks, chairs, mice, keyboards. Your employees spend at least 40 hours every week sitting behind that desk, so you must make sure it’s comfortable. A major trend right now is an adjustable desk, which can turn into a standing desk, helping your employees stretch their legs a bit while still working. Ergonomic equipment can prevent injuries, and therefore keep your employees happy and healthy.


It’s not only the workspace you should think about - you should focus on the break rooms as well. Places for brakes should be separated rooms, or patios, where employees can really relax while eating lunch, instead of eating lunch with one hand and typing with the other. Breaks help us reenergize, they make us more productive, they help us connect with our team and be satisfied with our jobs.

2. Distractions‍

Since distractions are a key reason for low productivity, you must find a way to minimize them. Open space offices aren’t really a distraction-free place, so you should invest in noise cancelling headphones, and allow your employees to tune out while working by using them.


Allow your team members to turn off their email or instant messaging notifications for a couple of hours per day, so they can really focus on what they’re doing instead of checking their inbox all the time. Create a general rule so that employees notify other team members when they want to be distraction-free, and make sure you’re all respecting that time.


Some people prefer their desks clean when they’re working, while others feel they’re doing their best work when they have notebooks, pens, markers, post-it notes all around them. Encourage employees to keep their desks the way it helps them stay focused, and keep in mind that not everyone works in the same way as you do.

In case that your team is working remotely, the chances of getting distracted are much higher. While there are no coworkers walking around, chatting about their weekend - there are kids, or roommates, or animals which can distract them. It’s impossible to get rid of all of these distractions, so every person must find a way to deal with them in the best way possible.

 

3. Organization

The way you and your team organize workload and collaboration will heavily affect your productivity and focus. While seeing people work and getting things done can be a great motivator, there should be a certain structure which will help you all achieve more.


Use a project management tool to create and delegate tasks among team members, encourage them to consult coworkers when they aren’t sure how to proceed. Make sure you have a prioritization system, and that all team members are aware of which tasks should be a priority. Encourage everyone to create their own schedules and stick with them. Let your team know it’s okay to test out different time management and productivity techniques which can help them become better at what they do.


Plan all activities, put them in a calendar or on your to-do list, and stick with them. Promote this way of organizing to your team. Not every tool or method will work the same for everyone, but that shouldn’t stop your employees from trying another technique that might be better for them.


We strongly recommend that you use some form of time tracking software, or a remote employee monitoring tool to stay on top of everyone’s activities without having to interrupt them and break their workflow.

4. State of Mind‍

Even though the state of our mind and body don’t affect our productivity in an obvious, measurable way, they certainly have a major impact on it. A study in the UK has found that there are more than 15 million sick days taken per year due to stress, depression or anxiety. What you as a manager and a business owner do, and the way you act heavily affect the way your employees feel, which in turn affects their productivity. 


The same study found that employee engagement increases by 31% if a worker believes that their employer cares about their well-being. These show us that employers need to pay more attention to employees' mental health. We’re still working through the stigma around it, and many workers aren’t comfortable talking about these issues with their bosses. For example, team building exercises which are connected to company’s goals are a great way to make employees feel better and more engaged. 


On the other hand, our physical health also affects the way we work. Working out reduces stress, and helps us blow off some steam after a hard day at work. Employees with poor dietary habits are usually 66% less productive than those who pay attention to what they’re eating. 


Encourage healthy habits by paying your employees’ gym memberships, stock up the kitchen with healthy snacks, or host company lunches with a selection of healthy meals. You could also organize team basketball or soccer games - besides being a great team building activity, it’ll keep all of you healthy and happy. If that’s not really your team’s thing, you can organize a yoga class in the office, or other similar events which encourage movement.


Final Thoughts

No matter how hard we try, we’ll still get distracted by minor things, our focus won’t always be there, and our productivity will go up and down on a daily basis. As a manager or employer you must understand that this is normal, but you should also try to organize the working environment in such ways that it promotes productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of the entire team.

This article was originally written on May 3rd, 2016 by Marija Grgur, it was updated on May 18th, 2020 by Bojana Djordjevic.