This technology leader thinks that tracking software is a very bad idea

If there’s one thing bad leaders hate, it’s this: losing control.

The pandemic has completely upended the working life of the office and what have they lost? Control – Very strict control over each employee.

Now the epidemic is in a more manageable state and workers—recognizing higher profits and productivity across industries—are less interested in returning to long commutes and limited family time. Yet some CEOs (who comfortably have a largely partner base, large salaries and in-house support) resent the idea of ​​people continuing to work under a collective thumb away from the office.

Recent evidence? which is increasing The proliferation of tracking software.. While these solutions have been around for a while, they seem to be fast becoming another way to control workers in their home environment, create stressful and unnecessary workplace competition, and create false grounds for firing workers.

I have the opportunity to share some views on this In the near future Forbes, But this new aspect of the digital panopticon continues to stick in my gut. Because, well, the short version is, it’s stupid and lazy. So this is the reason why companies using tracking software should rethink their game.

Managers have to do their job

There’s always room for better technology to support and improve productivity – we all use it in different ways every day, so there’s no arguing with me about innovative services.

But technology is not a substitute for good managers. They draw diverse groups of people together and build friendships, share visions, build trust, and eventually create cohesive teams that achieve bigger goals. They know their team members individually and work carefully to set expectations, support them, understand the context, and provide feedback and direction.

Related: Are They Spying On You?

They consider the differences in nature between man and his work. For example, a content leader won’t be typing 100% of the day. Thinking is a big part of writing, and that means they’re interviewing a subject matter expert, sketching out ideas on paper, or taking a walk to relieve some writer’s block.

Effective productivity is not productivity

Do you really want to create a culture where people are active without doing anything? Effective productivity is time consuming and energy draining.

Your culture should be a rewarding outcome and outcome, not one where people idly worry about going to the bathroom, or are distracted by the thought of being caught on camera, or “deployed” until the pressure is on. mouse jiggler, a device that creates motion patterns; of New York Times It is mentioned.

Again, good managers know what is achievable and reasonable given the employee’s workload and what results are expected. These managers understand that constant activity and measuring operational inputs is not the same as smart work and great results.

As I said in ForbesA good hour of thinking time, the kind that allows you to puzzle over a topic, is 10 times better than 60 minutes of furiously firing off emails just to look busy.

Recruiting and retaining is already difficult.

So despite fears of a recession, this is still a time when millions of jobs are unfilled and it’s still challenging to find the right talent to step through your virtual magnifying glass and make a commitment to you. So why on earth would your organization accept the reputation of using unnecessarily harsh and punitive surveillance software?

That’s especially true because many of these solutions are so wrong. This is from the Times A piece:” . . . New clocks at work are inaccurate: inaccurate at capturing offline activities, unreliable at evaluating tasks that are difficult to measure, and prone to undermining the work itself.

So now we’re using tracking software to assess productivity and it’s not even working? Get out of here with this trick. If I were a genius engineer and read some comments on Glassdoor that even suggested this, my answer would be quick and simple: “Next.

Now you’re probably asking, so what can employers do instead of spending money to track down a solution? Give bonuses to employees based on achieving the goal. Redirect this money into meaningful training—on goal setting and measurement—to help managers lead effectively. Invest in training for employees to go deeper in their skill sets. Make sure you reward results-driven work. Offer retention incentives to your high-performing employees.

Or – here’s an idea – maybe you can use that money to hire better crop leaders for your company, and empowered employees who know how much they need to work to be effective and productive.

I can literally think of 100 more worthwhile places to invest your time, money and energy. Let’s get rid of the tracking software, shall we?

Amanda Richardson He is the CEO. CoderPad, the leading software platform to evaluate technical skills. She has extensive experience in product management and strategy, having led multiple technology startups to $100 million in revenue.