# Good management isn’t a click-measuring contest Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-11-22 Category: BUSINESS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business Meta Title: Boost Productivity and Morale with Good Management Practices Meta Description: Learn how using technology to empower your staff with good data and supportive management practices can lead to increased productivity and happier employees. URL: https://financedigest.com/good-management-isnt-a-click-measuring-contesthtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/shady-image-of-a-manager-discussing-business-matters-with-his-subordinates-sbi-300726169-1736837075296-compressed.jpg) _![](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/166-1736837075247-compressed.jpg)_ _If you use technology to spy on your staff, your bottom line and staff turnover rate will feel it. So instead, use tech to empower them with good data and supportive management practices._ _By **Elliott Tiernan,** Global Head of Pre-Sales_ _at ActiveOps._ As we have all read and heard a thousand times, the pandemic has changed the [workplace and the tools that managers and their teams need](https://www.financedigest.com/anyone-can-write-assignment-need-people-able-apply-new-skills-workplace-says-top-investment-management-company.html "“Anyone can write an assignment, but we need people to be able to apply their new skills to the workplace,” says top investment management company") to work effectively, for good. There seems to be a consensus from both businesses and staff that [working from home](https://www.financedigest.com/working-from-home-everyone-is-different.html "Working from home, everyone is different."), at least sometimes, is a positive thing. You may think, and you certainly would hope, that this [‘new normal’](https://www.financedigest.com/how-banks-can-triumph-in-the-new-normal.html "HOW BANKS CAN TRIUMPH IN THE ‘NEW NORMAL’") hints at some degree of trust between employers and employees. That [managers may start to trust their employees](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-manage-burnout-and-how-leaders-should-support-employee-wellbeing-tom-keya.html "How to manage burnout and how leaders should support employee wellbeing | Tom Keya"), and that employees, in turn, would reward this greater autonomy, and the morale boost, with increased productivity. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case. According to recent [research](https://www.itpro.co.uk/security/privacy/361472/one-in-three-uk-workers-now-surveilled-by-employers-at-home), employers ‘spy on’ a third of UK workers, and webcam monitoring has more than doubled. Bosses and [business owners](https://www.financedigest.com/small-business-owners-are-highly-optimistic-about-2017.html "Small Business Owners Are Highly Optimistic About 2017 ") are using dystopian surveillance tools more and more to make sure their workers are being diligent. As they can’t see people [working at their desks](https://www.financedigest.com/how-a-clean-desk-will-make-you-more-productive-at-work.html "How a Clean Desk Will Make You More Productive at Work"), they come to the slightly mad conclusion that people just won’t be working at all. This paranoia, perhaps [understandable as we get used to new ways of performance measuring and the required maturity](https://www.financedigest.com/understanding-the-different-levels-of-maturity-in-travel-and-expense-management.html "Understanding the different levels of maturity in travel and expense management") to trust fellow stakeholders, is just that; paranoia. The c-suite and the [managers that run the day-to-day operations must](https://www.financedigest.com/managing-mobility-in-the-enterprise-must-have-consideration.html "Managing mobility in the enterprise must have consideration") relinquish this over-the-top oversight if they want their company to perform well. This means swapping surveillance for something much harder to perfect but much more rewarding for everyone’s mental health and, therefore, their productivity; good [management – trust](https://www.financedigest.com/exact-launches-practice-management-solution-to-help-transform-accountants-into-trusted-business-advisors.html "Exact launches Practice Management solution to help transform accountants into trusted business advisors"), communication, and a focus on outcomes not just how long employees spend at their desks Not surprisingly, a 2017 [study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563217305356?via%3Dihub#!) by Baylor University found that monitoring software correlated with greater employee tension and less job satisfaction, which naturally caused a higher staff turnover. This pressure, and the subsequent desire to jump ship, is stressful enough, let alone during the economic freeze of the pandemic, when another job may not be so easy to find. More recently, [MPs](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/11/algorithmic-monitoring-mental-health-uk-employees) stated that worker surveillance and setting performance targets through algorithms damage employees’ mental health and need to be controlled by new legislation. Workforce surveillance is not just unjust and unethical; it is entirely self-defeating. A happy team is a productive team, and an [effective team is what your bottom-line needs](https://www.financedigest.com/does-the-monzo-effect-mean-banks-will-need-to-rethink-brand-building.html "Does the ‘Monzo effect’ mean banks will need to rethink brand building?"). You’d be better off, and so would the quarter’s profits, if you motivate your staff by instilling a sense of autonomy and [measuring success](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-define-success-and-measure-the-impact-of-digital-transformation.html "How to define success and measure the impact of digital transformation") by results. After all, results matter, not mouse clicks and not [time spent](https://www.financedigest.com/aonponemon-report-almost-four-times-more-budget-is-being-spent-on-property-related-risks-vs-cyber-risk.html "Aon/Ponemon report: Almost four times more budget is being spent on property related risks vs. cyber risk") sitting at the desk. There is a phrase for these concepts, and it isn’t some pandemic-spawned technobabble; it is simply called good management. Communicate with your employees, measure their effort by the [results they achieve, and regularly review these results against other companies](https://www.financedigest.com/swiss-insurance-company-helvetia-uses-squirro-to-deliver-better-search-results-to-its-five-million-customers.html "Swiss insurance company Helvetia uses Squirro to deliver better search results to its five million customers"), departments, and staff. This way, everyone is productive, and everyone remains happy and avoids burnout. The trust goes both ways, and if you play your cards right, your [staff may stay working](https://www.financedigest.com/leading-london-advertising-agency-launches-bitcoin-bonus-scheme-encouraging-staff-to-use-artificial-intelligence-in-creative-work.html "Leading London Advertising Agency Launches ‘Bitcoin Bonus’ Scheme, Encouraging Staff To Use Artificial Intelligence In Creative Work") for you – rather than filling the ever-growing number of vacancies in better-paid and better-managed roles elsewhere. Just because some bad apples use [digital tools to spy doesn’t mean](https://www.financedigest.com/making-sure-that-finservs-digital-transformation-doesnt-mean-digital-exclusion.html "Making sure that FinServ’s digital transformation doesn’t mean digital exclusion") that is their only use. Intelligent workforce [management software coupled with the right management practices](https://www.financedigest.com/5-practical-ways-to-manage-your-business-expenses.html "5 Practical Ways To Manage Your Business Expenses") is a tried and tested approach to keeping your workforce healthy, happy, and productive (and I don’t mean by measuring their clicks). Insight into [working habits and the results they achieve can help managers](https://www.financedigest.com/time-management-strategies-that-work.html "Time management strategies that work") and the C-suite make better decisions – and I don’t just mean for their profits. Good decisions at the top can, and should, mean better conditions for all stakeholders involved, especially employees. Better conditions mean higher productivity, improved staff well-being, and [mental health](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-protect-your-employees-mental-health-while-remote-working.html "How to protect your employees’ mental health while remote working"). With proper [workforce management](https://www.financedigest.com/6-keys-to-managing-a-remote-first-workforce.html "6 Keys to Managing a Remote-First Workforce"), ultimately, you will have a better-performing company. --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---