What are management tools

We decided to compile a list of useful tools that can help supervisors monitor employees who have been transferred to work remotely from home, either temporarily or permanently. In this article we will provide you the tools to manage remote employees.

Management tools are computer systems that allow better administration of the company from a comprehensive point of view. In that sense, they are used to carry out objectives at a strategic level using techniques that allow compliance with planning. In this way, the ultimate goal of these tools is to optimize the organization through better use of resources.

Remote Employee Monitoring Software is a type of software that combines the features of employee monitoring software and other tools to track employee activity and analyze their productivity on PCs. This software is indispensable when you have emloyees on your team who work remotely, as typical monitoring tools are not available in situations where a supervisor and an employee or a freelancer work in different locations. As a result, the quality of management and the accuracy of forecasting in the development of a project suffers.

The popularity of software and cloud solutions that help in organizing and controlling remote work processes is increasing every year. For example, according to research by consulting agency Gartner, in 2020, the popularity of the aforementioned services has increased by 80% in the US alone. And the situation is quite similar in other countries as well. This is for a variety of reasons – from the increase in remote workers and the greater involvement of freelancers to the desire of company executives to effectively control the emloyees who work for them.

Why is it necessary to monitor emloyees working remotely?

With the right tools, remote work monitoring services that collect and interpret data can be useful for everyone:

• Employees will be aware of their responsibilities knowing that their productivity and work as a whole is being tracked.
• Employees and freelancers will be able to charge their clients based on the amount of time they spend on certain tasks.
• Customers will know exactly how much time was spent on their projects.
• Supervisors will find it easier to control remote workers by automating this process using specialized software.

Aware of these points and witnessing the growing demand for tools that help organize remote work, we decided to help emloyees who are choosing this software and have compiled a ranking of the best programs of this type.

Below are the tools to manage remote employees

1. Kickidler

Kickidler is a comprehensive system for tracking employees and tracking their working hours. It has powerful functionality and its interface is very didactic, in addition to being incredibly easy to use. More importantly, the system is protected from potential scams by remote workers. This well balanced software can be introduced in companies with any number of employees. In 2020, Kickidler was one of the 10 most popular employee monitoring software in the world, and in May it also became the second fastest growing software in popularity.

Kickidler can be used both to monitor the working hours of remote workers and for full control of remote personnel, including all actions they perform on PCs. The program’s screen video recording feature and its user-friendly display of PC activity history ensure that employees cannot fool the software, which is an especially important aspect when it comes to working with employees in Home Office mode.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Online monitoring of remote computers – displaying screenshots.
• Working time tracking – recording the start and end of the working day, breaks and idle time.
• Tracking employee efficiency – analyzing the tasks they performed during the day.
• Tracking of opened apps and visited websites with automatic filtering option.
• Consistent video recording of employee monitors.
• Recording of all keystrokes during the working day.
• Allow remote access to employee PCs.
• Sending automatic notifications to employees about violations they commit in the workplace.

Free version pricing and restrictions

Kickidler’s optimal pricing plan costs just $2.84 per month for each connected computer, provided you’ve purchased a three-year license. Learn more about the program’s pricing plans here .

Kickidler is the only program of its kind that provides indefinite licenses, which basically means that you pay once and have a permanent right to use the software, including contacting tech support and receiving your updates. For the local offline version of the program (ie one that does not require an internet connection) you will need to pay 20% more than the regular price.

The program has a 2-week free trial period that allows you to form your own opinion about its functionality.

Compared to programs with similar functionality, the free version of Kickidler offers more features and allows you to connect up to 6 PCs. The only features it doesn’t have are screen video recording, monitoring violations committed by remote employees, sending automatic notifications of such violations, as well as the remote access feature.

Program limitations

Kickidler’s disadvantages include the lack of a mobile version and cloud integration. However, the software developers promise to add these features in the next program update.

Reasons for the program to be the top 1 in our ranking

We decided to rank Kickidler first because it provides supervisors with the most complete and detailed information about the productivity and efficiency of remote workers. The combination of features offered by the program makes it impossible to fool the software and false productivity, and the program’s automated productivity analysis allows supervisors to quickly assess the quality of their employees’ work.

2.Time Doctor

Time Doctor is one of the most famous employee monitoring software in the world. Focused on medium and large companies, it has advanced features to monitor employees’ working hours. The program supports integration with Asana, Trello, and other third-party services. It is installed as a PC app or Chrome extension. The program is suitable for controlling remote employees and freelancers.

Time Doctor is a tool that was originally designed to control remote workers and freelancers. That’s why it has all the features needed for this very purpose (with the only exception being the lack of screen monitoring and video recording).

Features that let you control remote employees

• Track working hours.
• Monitor employee activity.
• Log late arrivals and inactivity.
• Take automatic screenshots of employee screens.
• Track open web pages.
• Record keystrokes.
• Take a picture of an employee at work via a webcam.
• Check the location of the employee via GPS in the mobile version (optional).
• Pay employees using popular systems like PayPal, Payoneer and TransferWise.

Free version pricing and restrictions

The Solo pricing plan is intended to be used to control freelancers, and costs $5 per month per PC. The custom pricing plan is geared towards remote workers. Its price is $9.99 per month per user.

There is also a free version, but it lacks features that allow you to monitor employee activity and generate automatic reports.

Program limitations

Time Doctor is quite a complicated program to configure. Function sets in mobile and desktop software vary; the browser plugin has a pretty limited amount of features as well. Some users complain that the program’s user interface is not very intuitive.

Reasons for the program to be 2nd in our ranking

Time Doctor is one of the most used employee monitoring software in the world, and for that alone it deserves a high place in any ranking. At the same time, it is inferior to competitors in terms of convenience. It’s definitely a less-featured program than Kickidler, which is why we ranked it second.

3. Timely

Timely represents a kind of hybrid of employee monitoring software and a task scheduler. The program was originally designed to track freelancers and teams working on certain projects. Its developers have created easy-to-understand and easy-to-integrate software that allows supervisors to effectively track the quality of employee performance on certain tasks and the productivity of project members. The solution is suitable for small businesses and startups, but tracking a significant amount of remote employees with Timely would be problematic.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Automatic tracking of time employees spend on tasks.
• Working time tracking.
• Monitoring unproductive activities, idle time and other unbilled periods.
• Integrated task schedule.
• Integration with team communication and project management applications.

Free version pricing and restrictions

The free version of the program is designed for one user only, and allows you to create no more than three tasks. Pricing plans range from $14 to $199 per month. The number of projects and users available, as well as the functionality of the program, depend on the pricing plan chosen.

Program limitations

Timely is not that scalable, so it is quite difficult to manage a large number of remote employees using this service. The program’s functionality is limited to time tracking tools, efficiency tracking and a task scheduler.

Reasons for the program to be 3rd in our ranking

Despite any disadvantages, Timely performs its main function, which is to keep track of working hours very well. The software is simple, easy to integrate, great for freelancers and small teams of remote workers. It’s the show’s convenience that has made it so popular, and it’s the reason Timely deserves a spot in the top three.

4. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a cloud-based service designed to monitor freelancers and remote workers. It is a powerful system with extensive time tracking and tracking capabilities. The program integrates with Basecamp, Trello, GitHub, Asana, PayPal, and several dozen other services. It is suitable for all companies that consist partly or entirely of remote workers collaborating with freelancers.

Hubstaff is very similar in functionality to Time Doctor, only slightly more expensive, which needs full control tools like online screen monitoring and monitor video recording.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Generating reports on the working hours of employees.
• Tracking mouse and keyboard activity.
• Save screenshots of employee monitors at certain intervals.
• Search for freelancers using the built-in tool.
• Incorporate an hourly earnings rate.
• Track employees via GPS.

Free version pricing and restrictions

Basic plan cost $5 per PC per month. The free version gives you the option to monitor just one person, and the program’s functionality is limited to working time reports, activity tracking, and occasional screenshots.

Program limitations

Hubstaff is a good service, but quite confusing. Its downsides also include overly limited functionality in the free version and its incompatibility with Linux.

Reasons for the program to be 4th in our ranking

Potentially, Hubstaff could claim the best spots in our ranking, but the free version of the program allows for almost nothing, and even at its maximum capabilities the program’s tools are not enough to provide 100% remote employee control. The lack of screen recording is a very relevant disadvantage.

5.ActivTrak

ActivTrak is yet another popular cloud service designed to monitor employee activity, track working hours and automatically analyze workplace productivity and overall level of discipline. The toolkit is very well developed. Among other things, the program is able to prevent internal threats. The service is constantly developing and expanding with new features.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Screenshots every 5 seconds.
• Video recording from monitors.
• Automatic notifications of violations committed.
• Alert for screenshots with specified parameters.
• Reports on working hours.
• Employee corporate email monitoring.
• Blocking banned apps and websites.

Free version pricing and restrictions

The paid version of ActivTrak costs $7.2 per month for each PC being monitored. There is also a free version; its limitations include the ability to monitor only one employee and only allowing 3GB on the server. Interestingly, the difference between the paid and free version is only in the number of users you can track and the lack of server storage restrictions in the paid version.

Program limitations

ActivTrak does not support Mac, which is a serious flaw. Also, the ability to customize and customize the service is extremely limited.

Reasons for the program to be 5th in our ranking

ActivTrak’s functionality is extensive, but not the greatest considering its rather high cost. However, the service is powerful, useful, and comfortable to use. That’s why we’ve put it in the middle of our remote employee monitoring software ranking.

6.RescueTime

RescueTime is a service designed to improve the efficiency of remote workers rather than simply controlling them. It is easily integrated and very simple to use, and it automatically generates productivity reports . The program allows supervisors to better understand how much and exactly how efficiently their employees work, as well as discover what prevents them from being more productive. The software supports all major operating systems – both mobile and desktop. It can be integrated with GitHub, Slack and about 50 other services.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Tracking time spent browsing websites and apps.
• Blocking distracting websites and apps.
• Generating productivity reports for different periods.
• Report excessively time-consuming tasks.

Free version pricing and restrictions

The cost of the program is $9 per month per user. It has a free version with a limited set of features; however, it’s only great for monitoring your own productivity, not for corporate use.

Program limitations

RescueTime does not support offline mode. The program doesn’t help to keep track of the time employees spend on different tasks and projects – it only allows tracking of separate tools and services. The software also lacks the ability to split tracked work hours into billed or unbilled hours.

Reasons for the program to be 6th in our ranking

RescueTime is a service that has its quirks, but it’s easy to use and quite intuitive. Rather than helping supervisors keep track of their remote workers, the program provides them with the information they need to determine why their emloyees’ productivity is the way it is.

7.Hours

Hours is an incredibly simple time tracker that tracks the working hours of remote employees. Since it only provides the most basic tools, you get the hang of it very quickly. The program is suitable for corporate and individual use. It is most often used by supervisors who want to minimize control and get only the most general information about their employees about the amount of hours they have worked.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Automatic time tracking.
• Tracking time spent on projects.
• Automatic notification system.
• Mac and Apple Watch Sync.
• Reports on employee working hours in CSV or PDF.

Free version pricing and restrictions

The free version of the program has extensive functionality, but it can only be used individually. To access the features that enable team collaboration processes, you need to purchase the PRO version. Its cost is $7.99 per month.

Program limitations

The program only works on iOS and MacOS. It’s really a very basic time tracker that lacks the functionality of proper employee monitoring software, so it’s not suitable for larger teams. However, this software is a good choice if you are looking for a tool to discreetly monitor some freelancers or remote workers.

Reasons for the program to be 7th in our ranking

The main advantage of Hours and at the same time its disadvantage is the simplicity of the application. That’s why it has become so popular, however, it is still not suitable for solving serious problems. And that’s the reason why we placed it in the second half of the standings.

8.Harvest

Harvest is employee monitoring software designed for companies that work with a significant number of clients. It provides billing services, integrates with payment services, tracks the time an employee spends on a task, and has a host of other functions. Overall, it’s a powerful enterprise product.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Tracking the amount of hours worked online and offline.
• Invoice management.
• Integration with PayPal and Stripe.
• Internal employee notification system.
• Productivity and hours worked reports.
• Control of internal violations.

Free version pricing and restrictions

Harvest is completely free if you need to track two projects per month. For corporate use, the cost of the program is $12 per month per employee.

Program limitations

The program does not save screenshots which are quite useful when it comes to monitoring remote employees. The service itself is quite expensive. In addition, there are a wide variety of reports and tools available, and it takes time to understand them all.

Reasons for the program to be 8th in our ranking

Harvest is a versatile enterprise system with a number of features, including but not limited to time tracking and employee monitoring (the ability to monitor remote workers is also provided). However, we should note that both tools are less developed in this program than in other specialized solutions. Still, when it comes to large companies, integrating this product into their work processes helps to automate multiple types of processes simultaneously.

9.Everhour

Everhour is a web application (for Chrome, Firefox and Safari) that aims to monitor office and remote workers and track their working hours. It offers many tools for data collection, integrates with third-party services (Asana, Basecamp, Trello, etc.), and allows supervisors and employees to track the time they spend on certain tasks.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Digital stopwatch.
• Project progress dashboard.
• Task records.
• Automatically updated productivity reports.
• Invoicing.
• Estimation of the time required to complete a project.
• Working time tracking.

Free version pricing and restrictions

The system does not offer a free version. You have full access to features that allow remote control over your team by purchasing a license at a price of $5 per month per person.

Program limitations

The software’s main drawback is its complete lack of tools that help monitor employee efficiency. The only thing that can be tracked is the progress of the entire team.

Reasons the show is #9 in our ranking

In terms of available features, Everhour is inferior to most of the solutions we mentioned above. However, we do agree that it is a popular system that allows supervisors to track their team’s progress as well as the amount of time they spend on certain tasks.

10.TopTracker

TopTracker rounds out our top ten list. It is an app that aims to control freelancers and coordinate small teams of remote employees. Its functionality is quite limited, but productivity tracking and time tracking features are available. The good news is that the service is completely free and available for download on Windows, Linux (including Debian, Fedora) and macOS.

Features that let you control remote employees

• Working time tracking.
• Generating productivity reports.
• Team project management.
• Freelancer control (keeping your privacy in mind).

Free version pricing and restrictions

It is a 100% free program with no restrictions.

Program limitations

It does not provide billing or integration with third-party services. There is no mobile app. Time and productivity monitoring is poorly automated.

Reasons for the program to be ranked 10th in our ranking

Compared to the above mentioned solutions for remote employee monitoring, TopTracker has quite primitive and limited functions. Still, it’s free, popular, and offers decent control over remote workers. That’s why the program is included in our