If you are managing a team of IT workers or just have a secretary sitting in front of a computer, chances are that they don't spend all of their paid work time doing their assigned jobs. Instead, they might be doing all sorts of stuff: reading news, watching YouTube flicks, or even playing computer games. As obvious as it sounds, it is not easy to catch them playing an office-killer game, as these games often come with the 'boss key' feature, which makes the game disappear quickly when they press a single button.

What can you do to make your employees more productive, and to stop them from chatting or playing games at the workplace?

The first and obvious choice, at least for IT related industries, is using Windows built-in user account control and security policies to prevent running any applications that are not explicitly permitted. For example, this would limit the download and use of any chat and instant messenger programs. Unfortunately, too tight a policy can severely limit their working performance should they need to do something that was not initially permitted. On the other hand, a too loose policy may open doors to Flash-based games, Java or even Web-based chats. Finding the right balance between security and productivity is a complex and time consuming task.

The second obvious choice, especially for non-IT professions, is putting a video surveillance system in place. Video cameras, even if they aren't actually recording, are great psychological stimuli that help employees concentrate on work instead of entertainment. On the other hand, video surveillance is often perceived as a major drawback by employees, and may even be criticized and opposed by the unions. For a small company, video surveillance may be too much of a commitment.

Installing software that will monitor your employee's use of their computers does not have the drawbacks of overly tight security policies or the opposition associated with video surveillance. Unlike security policies and user account control, logging software does not prevent users from doing things that are part of their job. It also does not stick on the wall to scare employees, and under no circumstances does it interfere with their private lives.

Refog Employee Monitor by Refog is a keyboard logging and monitoring product that perfectly complements a reasonable Windows security policy, and completely replaces obtrusive video surveillance at a fraction of the price. Refog Employee Monitor has a special feature set that is designed specifically for small companies. While completely invisible and unobtrusive to the employees, the product saves all key presses into a log file, registers all Web sites they visit, and makes periodic screen shots of their work PC. You can easily access these logs from a central FTP server, or have Refog Employee Monitor email them to you periodically. If they do a lot of typing, you can filter out Office applications to make the logs easier to read.

Complement your security policy and replace obtrusive video surveillance with Refog Employee Monitor at a fraction of the price. Download your free evaluation copy at: http://www.refog.com/

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