Remotely check PC startup/shutdown times

[Caracus2k]

and because we have such a relaxed and fun working environment

With a paranoid boss who wants to spy on you! Sounds like a bundle of fun! Are you hiring?.................


On a serious note - from Citizens advice

Before deciding whether to introduce monitoring, your employer should:
•be clear about the reasons for monitoring staff and the benefits that this will bring
•identify any negative effects the monitoring may have on staff. This is called an impact assessment
•consider whether there are any, less intrusive, alternatives to monitoring
•work out whether the monitoring is justified, taking into account all of the above.

Except in extremely limited circumstances, employers must take reasonable steps to let staff know that monitoring is happening, what is being monitored and why it is necessary.




Common decency would suggest that you should tell your staff member that you are monitoring what time they log in/off and if applicable what they are doing

 

[Resident]

I can understand the login/logout bit but monitoring mouse activity seriously?

I work in an office and I can be using my PC, productively, for 20-30 mins without needing to touch the mouse, mainly because I know most of our software's keyboard shortcut which is far quicker.

Under your monitoring I'd be showing as not working.

 

[FARGO]

Answerphone.

 

[C.R.A.Z.Y]

The workers will be super motivated and inspired when they find out you are spying on them like some overbearing parent.

Wouldn't want to work for someone with your mindset tbh!!

 

[MrMoonX]

God I'd hate to work for you! I start at 9 doesn't mean my PC will be on by then, I'm in the building by 9 that's all my employer gets from me, the ****** laptop and docking cradles take 10mins to login anyway, **** getting in early to be ready by 9

 

[Russinating]

Just put her phone down when it's picked up.

I know very little about your place other than the fact you want to track employees every keypress and presence at their computer. That's enough for me to know thank you.

So your suggestion is to prank call them, at the expense of other calls? And I never said anything about tracking keys.

I can understand the login/logout bit but monitoring mouse activity seriously?

I work in an office and I can be using my PC, productively, for 20-30 mins without needing to touch the mouse, mainly because I know most of our software's keyboard shortcut which is far quicker.

Under your monitoring I'd be showing as not working.

If you read the OP, it's a benefit but not essential, eg for lunch breaks. And if you also read the OP again, when did I mention mouse movements?

The workers will be super motivated and inspired when they find out you are spying on them like some overbearing parent.

Wouldn't want to work for someone with your mindset tbh!!

Who said spying? Who said they're not aware? Would you prefer to work somewhere where you can rock up 10 minutes late every day without any knowledge or consequence? I assume you work in an office on your own to make such a judgement.

God I'd hate to work for you! I start at 9 doesn't mean my PC will be on by then, I'm in the building by 9 that's all my employer gets from me, the ****** laptop and docking cradles take 10mins to login anyway, **** getting in early to be ready by 9

Great attitude, you're "in the building by 9". Are you suggesting your companies business, your role and your industry is identical to ours? I'm assuming you know what our business is, what role we're recruiting and what industry we're in to make such a statement.

Jesus, GD is terrible at the best of times but come to a serious subject and people don't half spew out a load of bull ****.

 

[adolf hamster]

why not tell us what your industry is? maybe that might stop the haters instead of ranting about us not knowing what your industry is about, of course we dont because you haven't told us.

certainly from the casual gd bystanders viewpoint it does sound like manager adopting the spying method, which tbh would make any comment about it being a bad work environment entirely valid imo.

the login screen would work, especially given you can pass it off as "security" measures, then build in a timeout so it'll log you out every 5 minutes or whatever time is nessecary, tbh any further measure than that would be in proper spying territory and would certainly have me handing you notice if i worked there.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Would you prefer to work somewhere where you can rock up 10 minutes late every day without any knowledge or consequence?

Yea, because that's the only alternative right? This is the problem - you keep coming across in the same way. You seem to believe that everyone you employ will be inherently dishonest unless you prevent them from being so. This is just not good management.

Surely it's better to work somewhere that you rock up bang on time, perhaps a bit early, do your days work and then pop home at the end, perhaps after finishing whatever you are on rather than exactly as the clock strike 5? Because that is the sort of culture you want and you don't breed that culture through distrust and monitoring. You breed it through trust.

It seems to me that the 'director' thing has rather gone to your head. Most people are not that different to you. You are not unique in the fact you have work ethic and can be bothered to do things right, you know. Most other people do, too, and I'd hope your recruitment processes are such that you pick other likeminded people you can trust.

Great attitude, you're "in the building by 9".

It's MrMoonX, don't think his view is what everyone else is trying to get across because it isn't.

Jesus, GD is terrible at the best of times but come to a serious subject and people don't half spew out a load of bull ****.

When the wave of opinion is against you it's probably a good idea to think why rather than just brand it all as BS simply because it would appear nobody agrees with you

 

[Efour]

I think this is easy

Tell them to be in the office from 8:45am and pay them an extra 2 quid. 10 quid a week to not lose a client....

Call the office at 8:55 a few times asking stupid questions "can you see the note on my desk? Read the time or date to me thanks..."

Dont do this spying crap.. You have to give them benefit of doubt until there is a reason to, just call or get someone to do some early calls to check up.. can even be a wrong number or... whatever.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Go the whole hog and have a CCTV camera put in. You can remote in and watch them to make sure they are sitting in front of the PC all day and not surfing DM. << I Jest.

Really no need to do these kind of things. You found out the last fella was late so by that logic you would find out again soon enough. Reward hard work and punctuality and you wont have a problem. Create a hostile, none trusting place to work and expect the worse kind of staff.

 

[pitchfork]

Just out of interest, how would you find out if they were "messing about" (ie 10 minutes late) when they're the only person in the office?

And how is being in work on time needless? And don't insinuate that I'm a prat. If you can't provide a solution or at least something constructive then don't bother posting.

If the work isn't getting done, they're messing about. That's a no brainer.

Surveillance is no solution to a rubbish management style, and your style is absolutely gash - it might work in India with a much wider power distance, in the UK it just costs you.

My businesses are successful because I hire good people and look to retain them by treating them right, training them and paying them well. If you want to act like some morally superior dictator making them come in minutes early unpaid and punch a clock every time they go to take a **** - don't be surprised when your business fails because your employees couldn't give a damn about doing a good job.

 

[lurkio]

why not tell us what your industry is? maybe that might stop the haters instead of ranting about us not knowing what your industry is about, of course we dont because you haven't told us.

certainly from the casual gd bystanders viewpoint it does sound like manager adopting the spying method, which tbh would make any comment about it being a bad work environment entirely valid imo.

the login screen would work, especially given you can pass it off as "security" measures, then build in a timeout so it'll log you out every 5 minutes or whatever time is nessecary, tbh any further measure than that would be in proper spying territory and would certainly have me handing you notice if i worked there.

Well said

 

[dan958]

If the work isn't getting done, they're messing about. That's a no brainer.

Surveillance is no solution to a rubbish management style, and your style is absolutely gash - it might work in India with a much wider power distance, in the UK it just costs you.

My businesses are successful because I hire good people and look to retain them by treating them right, training them and paying them well. If you want to act like some morally superior dictator making them come in minutes early unpaid and punch a clock every time they go to take a **** - don't be surprised when your business fails because your employees couldn't give a damn about doing a good job.

I once worked for a support place where I had to assign my time spent on a support. Which is fine, I didn't mind that - but I also had to assign things like toilet breaks otherwise I wouldn't have been paid the full amount.
the job got much worse than that and i eventually left, and so did the only other employee.