Time Tracking with Screenshots – What to Expect
Every person knows time is money but how many people nowadays really value their time? It turns out huge percent of people who claim they value their time prove the opposite with every action they make. They spend 2 or 3 hours a day on Facebook or Twitter, they cannot focus on the work and find excuses why they haven’t finished the assigned project on time. Things got different when they are told they have to use time tracking with screenshots from now on. Knowing that your employer will check the screenshots of your working hours, makes you think what websites you are going to visit when you are supposed to be working.
Moreover, in case the employer sees on some screenshots you are chatting with friends or reading an article that has nothing in common to your project, he won’t approve that period of time. Moreover, he has evidence you have not been working then and you won’t be paid for that time. If you are a person who really cares about your job, you’ll think twice before skipping off work. There is something even more frustrating – when you are using time tracking with screenshots, the employer who is checking your work, will have access to your online history. This means he can see what websites you are visiting and how much time you have spent on each website.
If you have read the book “1984” by George Orwell, when your employer tells you that you have to use time tracking with screenshots while you are working on the project, you will probably feel like “Big Brother is watching you”. For those who haven’t – read the book and you will understand what I mean. I have to confess I felt frustrated when I was told all the specifics of using time tracking software. I had no idea the employer will have so much information about my work. Moreover, I felt disclosed, like I was perfectly naked in a room, full of people. It really bothered me that my employer, who was actually a person I have never met and I don’t know, will know everything about my habits and Google entries.
After the initial shock was gone, I made a stunning conclusion – that I, like most of the people, have turned my PC into a secret place and I don’t want to let anyone in. However, it took me about 2 weeks to get used to time tracking with screenshots. I had to put myself together and avoid the common distractions while I was working. It saved me so much time that actually I was hired for a second project. At the end of the month, I had twice as expected money and I hadn’t spent a minute more on my PC. I was surprised how much time I waste during working hours.
If you are going to use time tracking software for the first time, be sure that after some short period of time, you will forget that the employer can monitor all your activities. You will be more focused on work you do and screenshots won’t be a problem. I have turned out tracking my time into a habit because it is really addictive to know how much time you spend every day online.
