How Desktop Monitoring Software Works & Why It Matters in 2025

Now that over 88% of employers allow their team to work remotely at least part of the time, the challenge is managing distributed work without losing visibility.

For leaders like you, that often comes with worries like:

• Does my team’s output match the hours they’re billing?

• How can I provide clients with the transparency they demand without micromanaging?

• What’s the right balance between trusting people and verifying their output?

Challenges like these are what desktop monitoring software was designed to solve. These tools help you understand how time is spent across different projects, protecting your business against time theft, preventing burnout, and building trust within your team.

In this guide, we’ll delve into how desktop monitoring works, its benefits and risks, and how the right tool can transform monitoring into a productivity-enhancing tool rather than a surveillance one.

Desktop monitoring software tracks how employees use their computers during work hours, featuring tools that monitor app usage, websites, keyboard and mouse activity, screen captures, and more. Instead of guessing how time is spent, leaders get verifiable data they can share with clients or use to forecast and manage projects more effectively.

For teams, it creates accountability and structure without constant check-ins. When done transparently, it builds trust by showing both effort and results.

At its core, desktop monitoring aims to turn day-to-day work into measurable and actionable insights.

Remote desktop monitoring software tracks an employee's computer activity during their workday. This productivity software can monitor employees' computer usage, screens, keyboard activity, apps, and URLs and send activity reports.

The software is typically installed onto computers or laptops and can create a culture of trust and transparency for both on-premises and remote employees. About 70% of large businesses say they will use employee monitoring software as of 2025.

Desktop monitoring software can enhance employee productivity by establishing benchmarks and rewarding accomplishments. It can also help management determine which employees perform specific tasks most efficiently and assign tasks accordingly.

However, there is a fine line between over-monitoring and using this tool for the good of your organization.

Employee productivity software holds employees accountable, enables managers to be more hands-off, and ensures that vital company information is safe.

Over 40% of hourly team members commit time theft while on the clock. This can lead to a lack of productivity and trust, whether intentional or unintentional.

Time tracking and employee monitoring software can encourage team members to be productive and reduce the need for constant check-ins from management.

With the right desktop monitoring in place, managers can identify bottlenecks, overwork, and other patterns that affect performance and act on them before they turn into more significant issues.

Aside from protecting your team’s productivity, these insights also help reduce turnover by keeping workloads balanced. When employees know their contributions are valued, they’re more likely to stick around and do their best work.

Track productivity

Once desktop monitoring &  management software is set up on a computer or mobile device, it can track websites and apps, keyboard and mouse activity, and even location. Features like Hubstaff’s unusual activity tracking can flag suspicious patterns like sudden spikes in idle time or unusual work patterns, allowing managers to spot issues early.

One of the more popular methods is activity monitoring. When employees type, the software intercepts the signal sent from the keyboard to the application.

This data gleaned creates valuable metrics to help organize employee workloads and optimize productivity.

Decrease burnout

Many monitoring platforms, including our own, also provide time tracking software. If you’d like to see how this looks in real-world settings, here are some examples of different industries that benefit from this software:

• Agencies

• Software development teams

• Consultants

• BPOs

• Virtual assistants

• Call centers

This can ensure employees’ work hours stay within the allotted time each day or week. According to the World Health Organization, long work hours caused 745,000 deaths in a single year.

With the right reporting tools, you can spot scope creep and prevent burnout. After all, nobody wants to be stuck in 50 to 60-hour workweeks just to keep projects moving, so it’s crucial to look to software to help protect both productivity and long-term employee well-being.

Improve communication

Workforce metrics can also improve communication between managers and employees. Notifications can be set up for certain activities, such as letting a manager know when a user spends a certain amount of time on a social media website.

Employee productivity tools can also link with communications software so that employees can more easily share files and videos. With this integration, employees will always know the status of each project.

Employee activity information can help with workflow optimization because management will know how much employee time each task requires. Managers will receive real-time updates on what each employee is working on and their progress without interrupting them to ask.

With this information, management can better evaluate which types of work contribute the most to the company’s bottom line and reward employees for their contributions.

Automate processes

Along with automating communication, time tracking software can also help automate payroll and notifications.

Onboarding and training programs are another way that employee monitoring software can improve processes. Managers can train employees more easily and provide new employees with time benchmarks to increase their focus.

Using time tracking software or an employee monitoring tool can help managers discover bottlenecks that cause productivity problems. For example, are employees spending too much time in meetings or doing operations manually that they could automate?

Safety and compliance

Many platforms can also monitor potential viruses, insider threats, other security issues, and user activity.

Monitoring desktop activity helps keep an accurate attendance record and ensures compliance with wage and hour laws. If employee time is billed to customers, invoicing will also be easier.

The information gleaned from user activity monitoring can create helpful metrics for organizing employee workloads and optimizing productivity.

Employee performance monitoring has several benefits, including better training, task planning and assignment, and improved productivity.

On a broader level, it can transform the way you manage distributed teams:

Meaningful productivity benchmarks

Instead of relying on guesswork, you’ll see exactly how your team spends their time across projects and tasks. This makes it easier to identify inefficiencies and set realistic benchmarks for your team.

Reduced compliance risk

Accurate records of time and activity make it easier to align with labor laws, overtime policies, and client contracts. This compliance advantage protects your business in the event of disputes.

Better remote team collaboration

Monitoring brings visibility into daily workflows without constant check-ins. This is especially valuable when your team spans time zones or relies on asynchronous communication.

Stronger client confidence

With verifiable proof of work, clients can see exactly what they’re paying for. That transparency makes billing easier and strengthens long-term relationships.

Smarter workload distribution

When you know where workflows slow, you can rebalance tasks before bottlenecks drag down delivery. The result is healthier workloads and more realistic deadlines for employees.

Data security

Monitoring tools help protect sensitive client data by tracking device usage and flagging suspicious behavior. For businesses that handle confidential information, this reinforces trust and reduces liability.

Better employee support

Patterns in activity reveal who might be overloaded, underutilized, or in need of guidance. With that visibility, you can step in to provide support to help employees succeed without burning out.

Data-driven decisions

Every hiring, staffing, or budgeting decision is easier when you have hard numbers to work with. Monitoring turns work patterns into actionable data.

While monitoring employee computer activity has numerous advantages, it does have some drawbacks if used unethically. The key to using desktop monitoring well is transparency.

Transparency should go both ways with employee desktop monitoring. Leaders need to be transparent about what information is being gathered and why.

Lack of transparency

According to Forbes, “a lack of trust can make workforces sick and dysfunctional.” If employees discover that management has been monitoring their activity secretly, they will likely feel that leadership has betrayed their trust. This can have a negative impact on employee satisfaction, which leads to high employee turnover rates, which can be a nightmare for HR professionals. 

Privacy infringement

When misused, desktop monitoring features have the potential to infringe on employees’ privacy. This is why employees must know how and when they are monitored and be able to turn it off during breaks and after hours.

Without this boundary, employees might access their bank balance or credit card information during their break. The company could potentially record personal information that it doesn’t want and should not have.

Fortunately, some tools stop monitoring when users stop their timers.

While any business can utilize monitoring to gain clarity and productivity, certain industries feel the impact more significantly than others. If your teams are remote, client-facing, or spread across multiple locations, the right monitoring tool can make daily operations significantly smoother. Below are a few industries where the benefits are particularly clear: 

Remote teams

Remote work is rising, and remote desktop monitoring is beneficial for companies with remote contractors or freelancers. Employees and employers can effortlessly stay on the same page with remote screen monitoring software.

The desktop time tracker data can also help them stay focused while increasing billable hours. Most platforms provide all the information on one central dashboard that is easily accessible to employees and employers.

Freelancers

The solutions are helpful for freelancers and contractors because they automate business processes like time tracking and billing. Freelancers and contractors can enter a client's rate, and the software automatically generates an invoice.

Companies that work with freelancers and contractors will see the hours a freelancer is billing rather than being surprised by their invoices.

They also can verify that contractors and freelancers spent the time on the projects they billed and set limits (based on their budgets) for the number of hours the freelancer can bill each month.

Field employees

GPS and geofencing features are also highly advantageous to businesses with field employees. The software typically allows for:

• Location-based time tracking

• Automating payments

• Job scheduling

• Planning routes

• Invoicing

• Expense reporting

Location tracking optimizes routes and tracks locations throughout the workday so that employees don’t waste time looking for a customer’s location or sitting in traffic jams.

It can also alert management if a call takes longer than expected so that management can decide whether to reassign jobs to ensure they meet customer needs.

Employee monitoring can also provide warnings if an employee is careless in dealing with confidential, personal, or sensitive information.

Remote desktop monitoring software is not intended to compromise employee privacy. Instead, it’s meant to improve productivity, employee engagement, and client satisfaction. 

Companies can reap the benefits of monitoring without compromising privacy by focusing on features that deliver useful insights and using them responsibly.

When selecting an employee productivity solution, there are certain features you should be aware of and look for.

Features to look for include:

Time tracking

Automatic time logging ensures accuracy for payroll, billing, and project planning. It replaces manual timesheets and provides a clear record of how work hours are spent. Time tracking is also an important component of tracking breaks and payroll.

Activity tracking

Track which applications and websites employees use during work hours to gain insight into their habits and focus. Over time, this data highlights productivity blockers and opportunities to improve workflows.

Screen capture

Periodic screenshots provide a visual record of employee work. They can be useful for audits, training, or offering proof of progress to clients who expect transparency.

Project management integration

Link Hubstaff with project management tools like Hubstaff Tasks, Asana, ClickUp, and Wrike to effortlessly track time to projects. This reduces the gap between planned timelines and execution.

Unusual activity

Not every productivity dip is immediately apparent. Unusual activity tracking helps flag irregular patterns, such as sudden spikes in idle time or unexpected software use, so you can investigate them before they become bigger issues. This adds an extra layer of accountability and protects your business from wasted hours or suspicious behavior.

Reporting & smart notifications

Detailed reports turn everyday activity data into clear metrics you can act on. With Hubstaff’s built-in time reporting features, you can track productivity trends over time, compare performance across teams, and get smart notifications when something needs your attention.

Together, these features give managers a clear view of how work gets done without overstepping employee boundaries. The result is a more productive and accountable workplace that runs smoothly across distributed teams.

Desktop monitoring software helps leaders manage remote teams with clarity and confidence. It makes it easier to track time accurately, identify productivity blockers, automate routine processes, and provide clients with the transparency they expect.

Hubstaff brings these capabilities together in a time tracking platform that promotes visibility, accountability, and trust across teams. More than 112 000 companies utilize it to stay focused, profitable, and aligned with their clients' needs.

You can start a free 14-day trial or request a demo to see how it works for your team. If you’d like to compare different options, take a look at our guide to the top desktop monitoring software.