Idle time tracking software for timesheets you can trust

Idle time tracking software is an application that tracks employee inactivity during a work session. It highlights when a team member has a prolonged period of not using their keyboard or mouse while tracking time. Tools like Hubstaff pair idle time detection with employee-facing prompts, configurable timeout periods, and detailed reports.

Active time is tracked time during which an employee is actively using their keyboard or mouse, while idle time is tracked time with no detected input after a configured timeout period. Comparing active vs. idle time can give you a more detailed view of a team member’s workday, since activities such as calls, meetings, and offline work can register as idle time while they actually constitute real work.

Hubstaff’s idle time detection software looks for periods of mouse and keyboard activity during a time tracking session. Once an employee’s device shows inactivity for longer than the timeout you’ve configured, Hubstaff sends them an alert and asks them to confirm whether they actually worked during that period or not.

Once Hubstaff detects an idle period, team members can receive a prompt to keep or remove detected idle time, depending on the organization’s settings. They can also access their own timesheets and activity data at any time.

On company-managed devices, time and activity can be tracked automatically according to organization-defined policies, without employee-facing idle time prompts.

No. Activities such as reading, having phone calls, and attending meetings tend to involve very little mouse or keyboard input, and as such can register as idle time. That’s why Hubstaff asks team members to confirm how detected idle periods should be treated, ensuring accurate time records.

Managers should review idle time data with context in mind. Set timeouts to match how specific roles work and share the data with your team. When used this way, idle time data can help build accountability and trust while helping you get a better understanding of how your team works.