DeskTime

DeskTime is a very interesting and exciting application that aims to provide you with the perfect blend between a rock-solid time-tracking app and an employee tracking tool.

Before we touch on both of these components, it's worth noting that this is a very intuitive app and basically anyone can use it. This is also possible thanks to the fact that this app is designed to work right out of the box, without much intervention on your part.

Simply download the app, install in on your Windows computer  (also available for Linux and macOS), and log in using your DeskTime credentials or, alternatively, by inputting your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn credentials.

You'll also notice that the app integrates with the taskbar, from where you can access some of the app's functionality, however, you should know right from the start that the rest of the work will be done using your computer's browser.

With that out of the way, we can start talking about what this productivity-focused app is all about. It's is capable of collecting data in regards to particular projects or tasks by filtering them via a wide array of stats. Make your way to the MyDeskTime dashboard, and you're also bound to discover that the app presents all the data in a very intuitive and stylish manner.

It's capable of collecting data such as the arrival time and total work time, as well as the productive and nonproductive time. It also presents you with the total effectiveness and productivity percentage. You're also provided with a nifty productivity bar that shows how you spend your time at 5-min intervals. Underneath, you're bound to find even more charts and panels that present various useful meters such as a category breakdown and a list of all the unproductive and neutral apps.

When it comes to employee tracking, it's worth noting that DeskTime quite decently equipped, however, it's by no means a full-featured app of this sort. What we mean by this is that it does not provide the employer with the possibility of tracking files, or keywords, or keystrokes for that matter.

But, other than that, there are a couple of good news, the first of which is that all the time-tracking features available for you are also available for the employees. As expected, there are a couple of nifty extra features as well. Take, for example, the fact that you're provided with a quick-view on the employee productivity. From the employee tab, you can view who's working, as well as who's productive or who's slacking.

If let's say, you have various remote employees and you want to make sure that they earn their paychecks correctly, then you will love the fact that DeskTime also offers the possibility of capturing screenshots. For this, you will have to go to the Settings section and, under Company, check the appropriate option (and choose the time interval at which the screenshots whould be captured). You're offered the possibility of blurring screenshots, in order to ensure the privacy of your employees, well, at least to some extent. And, since we're on the subject of privacy, fear not, employees can always temporary turn off the monitoring system by using the Private Time option (from the taskbar menu).

Last but not least, DeskTime also sports integration with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. Reports can be exported to XLS format, and you can check out productivity-related data on the go thanks to its Android and iOS clients.

To conclude, DeskTime is definitely a very interesting piece of software that has the potential of improving both your and your employees' productivity by offering accurate glimpses on potentially unproductive behavior. The app manages to boast an-almost-perfect mix between basic time-tracking capabilities, employee monitoring, and user-friendliness.